Frost, Fog, and Four Guardians
by Lunrav14
Summary: A one shot series based off my fanfic "Darkened Waters". Misty is now a Guardian, but what does that mean for them? Two teenage hellions with no borders. . Rated T for this one because some chapters may envolve swearing and some darker themes. Skip to chapter 8 if you want the good stuff.
1. Chapter 1: Celebrating Birthdays

**First off, if you haven't read my fanfic "Darkened Waters", I would suggest that you not read this. It will constantly references that story and contains many OC's from it. In other words, read my other fanfic first.**

**Secondly, this fanfic will contain some characters from the books, and a few refernces from the books. If you haven't read them, you might not be confused, but just warning you now.**

**And finally, this is not my best work, but I needed something to start this story. It will get better. I promise. **

**AND NO, I AM NOT PLANNING FOR ANY ROMANCE BETWEEN THE GUARDIANS (eccept for Katherine and Nightlight, but it will be mininal).**

**I leave you with I don't own RoTG and please enjoy.**

* * *

Everyone has a few things they wish they didn't have to do. For most people, that list is pretty long. For Bunny, that list was only ten annoyances long, and here they are, going from least annoying to most.

10. Kicking Pitch's butt (just because he likes kicking Pitch's butt doesn't mean he wished he didn't have to kick Pitch's butt)

9. Kicking anyone else who decides to threaten childhood's butt (you would be surprised by how often that happens)

8. Destroying nightmares and/or fearlings (Bunny wished they never existed in the first place)

7. Having to clean up the mess Pitch and his minions left behind (happens every time)

6. Having to hunt down stray nightmares for weeks after the battle (happens every time)

5. Having to ally with Pitch for any reason at all (never again, Bunny swore)

4. Having to help Pitch for any reason at all (NEVER AGAIN)

3. Confronting an angry Tooth (there is a reason)

2. Confronting an angry, hyper Tooth (a different time, a different story)

And number 1?

Dragging North's sorry arse to Seraphina's birthday celebration every year.

And guess what Bunny was currently doing?

"North! I'm givin ya three seconds to come out here before this door in front of me is in splinters!" Bunny shouted. Bunny heard a grunt from inside the workshop and sighed. This happened every year. Seraphina's birthday celebration was the single biggest gathering of spirits (besides New Year's maybe) and that meant the Guardians had to be present. There was just one little problem. North still hadn't forgiven Seraphina, or Mother Nature, as she's more commonly known, for kidnapping Katherine, his protégée, good friend, and the spirit called Mother Goose, more than five centuries ago. What's even weirder is that Katherine forgave Seraphina years ago and North still harbored a grudge.

"One! Two!" Bunny shouted. He heard a banging and North opened the door, in his red coat, furry hat, and swords.

"That's enough Bunny," North said impatiently. "I don't need another broken door. To the sleigh…" he grumbled

"Mate, we're already late. We're going my way," Bunny said, tapping his foot twice. A tunnel opened under them and Bunny bounded along the tunnel, North behind him. It opened up and Bunny physically dragged North out of the tunnel. A blur of feathers and a sandy figure joined him and they pulled North out of the tunnel. North landed on the ground with a thump.

"Come on North," Tooth said. "Every year?" Sandy made a question mark and North grunted, clearly not happy to be there. Tooth sighed and looked at Bunny.

"Where are Jack and Misty?" Tooth asked.

"They said they would come on their own," Bunny replied. "Something about needing to get a peace offering." In reality, Bunny had no idea where the twins were. It was now mid January and it had taken a bit of work to get Misty adjusted to Guardian life. Misty and Jack were an enormous help in getting the kids to believe. They flew around the world five times in a week, bringing back believers. And then they flat out vanished. Not a sign of hair or hide of them anywhere. Bunny knew something was up, but he didn't think they were in trouble. After all, winter and clouds hadn't gone anywhere.

The Guardians walked through the entrance, a large arch made of branches and vines. Bunny had always thought that Seraphina's home was very beautiful. There were four entrances and each one led to a different season. In the center was a large pavilion for gatherings. Currently, they were walking through the spring section. It reminded Bunny of his Warren. Everything was in bloom and the grass was lush and green. There were so many kinds of flowers and the air smelled sweet.

"Ah, there you are!" a voice said. Bunny looked over and saw a tall woman with dark hair standing off to the side. Her dress seemed to be made of the clouds themselves. She walked over and gave them a smile.

"Welcome to my Glade, Guardians. I trust you are well?" she asked. North harrumphed and Bunny decided to do the talking.

"Hello Seraphina. We're doing well. How are you?" Bunny asked. Seraphina smiled softly.

"I'm fine Aster. Hello Toothiana, Sanderson, Nicholas," Seraphina said. "Thank you for coming."

"It's no problem," Tooth replied. "It's always good to see you." North stayed silent. Sandy made a hat out of sand and tipped it in Seraphina's direction. Seraphina softly laughed and started walking towards the center of the Glade. The Guardians followed her towards the pavilion.

A ring of laughter made Bunny quickly check his surroundings. Bunny looked up and saw four figures flying in their direction. The four of them touched down and Bunny looked them over.

Two of them were Jack and Misty, but they looked a little different than usual. Jack was wearing a white hoodie instead of his usual blue, and Misty had a silver circlet around her head. Both of them had obviously cleaned up.

A teenage girl stood next to Misty. She was shorter than Misty and she had green hair that was in a halo braid around her head. Her shirt was shimmery green with pink flowers and her pants were also green. She had crown of pink flowers on her head and her eyes were the color of lush grass. A green ring that resembled a lily was on her finger.

A teenage boy stood on Jack's right. He was slightly taller than the girl in green, but not as tall as Jack. His hair and eyes were orange. He was wearing an orange shirt and brown pants. An intricately carved ring that resembled flames was on his finger.

Jack turned in Seraphina's direction, smiling. "Everything's in order. Just finished with the decorations," he said. Seraphina nodded her head.

"Thank you Jack," Seraphina replied. Misty looked at the Guardians and raised her eyebrow.

"You guys are here already?" Misty asked. "We didn't think anyone would be here for a little bit."

"We usually come early," Bunny replied. "Y'a gonna introduce y'a friends?" Misty slightly blushed and turned to her friends.

"This is Lily Printemps and Auty Automne. They're twins," Misty said. Lily walked over to Bunny and shook his hand,

"It's very nice to meet you," she said. Bunny returned the shake and saw Auty doing the same to Tooth.

"Frostbite and Drizzle could learn some manners from you two," Bunny commented. Lily and Auty looked confused. Misty and Jack blinked twice and burst out laughing.

"You really think they're polite?" Jack asked, holding his sides in laughter.

"If anything, they're worse than us," Misty said. Bunny raised his eyebrow at Lily and she gave Bunny a sugary-sweet smile. Oh great, just when you think the Trickster Twins are bad…

Jack walked over to Seraphina and did something unexpected. He gave her a hug. Misty, Lily, and Auty did the same.

"Happy Birthday Mom," they said in unison to Seraphina. Bunny raised his eyebrow and then shrugged his surprise off. To him, it made sense that they would call Mother Nature mom. They were seasonal spirits after all.

Apparently, North didn't think that was normal.

"Vhat do you mean mom?" he asked. Jack looked up, slightly confused.

"You guys don't know? Seraphina is our mother," Jack said. "Well, we consider her mother."

"After all, she did create us," Misty added. She then looked up at the sky and then flew up. "Come on Lily, I think guests are starting to arrive. Jack, can you and Auty take the autumn and winter sections? Thanks. See you guys later!" She and Lily flew off into the summer section. Jack and Auty shrugged their shoulders and flew in the direction of the autumn section. Seraphina turned to them.

"I have to look some things over, I'm afraid. It was good speaking with you," Seraphina said as she floated away

The Guardians continued walking toward the pavilion. Tooth and Sandy split off and flew over to where some their friends were standing. Bunny thought he spotted Aphrodite among the gathering. Bunny mentally made a note to ask Tooth about that later. When the large circle of stone came into view, Bunny spotted two people standing off to the side. One was an old man in robes and a pointy hat. The other was a young woman with auburn hair and she wore a long yellow dress. North smiled and walked over to the woman.

"Katherine, is good to see you," he said in a kind tone. Katherine looked up and her face filled instantly with joy.

"Nicholas!" she shouted, pulling North into a hug. North laughed and patted Katherine on the head. North looked at the old man and nodded his head.

"Hello Ombric," North said. Ombric had taught North everything he knew and was a master wizard. Katherine was Ombric's adoptive daughter, and the three of them were more like a family than anything.

Spying an old friend of his, Bunny stepped back and allowed the three friends to talk. He certainly didn't want to disrupt the reunion. Hopping over to one of the many tables set out, Bunny sat down and looked at the lady sitting across from him. The lady smiled.

"It's been a long time Aster," she said. She looked different than she usually did. It was one of the few times Bunny had seen her not in battle armor.

"It's nice to see you too, Athena."

* * *

North, Katherine, and Ombric talked for a long time, catching up on events that had passed. Katherine and Ombric were Guardians too, but they had a different job than the Big Four (or is it Big Six now?). They protected the last refuge of belief: Santoff Claussen. It was always assaulted when Pitch rose to power ever since its vital role over five hundred years ago.

"How are things back home?" North asked. No matter how long North stayed at the pole, Santoff Claussen would always be his home at heart.

"There as good as it can be. It took a lot of work to stave off the onslaught of nightmares, but we managed," Ombric said.

"Nightlight was a huge help," Katherine commented. "I've never seen anyone fight so hard." North inwardly frowned. As much as North trusted Nightlight and counted him as an ally, he didn't like his relationship with Katherine. It wasn't normal for a spectral boy to fall in love with a human girl, albeit an immortal one. North tried to accept it, if only for Katherine's sake.

"I'm sure he was Katherine," North said. "Where is he?" Katherine shrugged her shoulders.

"He said he needed to take care of something," Katherine replied. North nodded his head. Nightlight was linked to MiM in a way none of them could ever understand. He was usually very busy casting out shadows from children's bedrooms.

"Katherine!" North heard someone shout. He looked and saw Jack and Misty running in their direction. Katherine waited until they got over and then gave Misty and Jack a hug.

"Misty, Jack, it's so good to see you," Katherine said. "How are you doing?"

"We're good Katherine," Misty replied, her voice a little muffled.

"If you can call getting squished to death good," Jack said. Katherine released them and Ombric eyed the two teenagers curiously.

"So these are the twins you were talking about, North," Ombric said. Katherine looked at Jack and Misty curiously.

"You guys are twins?" she asked. Jack and Misty's smiles were proof enough. Katherine smiled.

"Congratulations!" she said. "Somehow, it feels like I've always known, but didn't want to say anything." Jack and Misty shrugged their shoulders and Katherine looked Misty over.

"You look…different somehow. What happened?" Katherine asked. Misty smiled.

"Let's just say Pitch doesn't scare me any more," Misty said. Katherine nodded and the matter was dropped. Light footsteps turned North's head and he looked up. Seraphina was walking towards them.

"I was wondering if you were coming," Seraphina said as she walked over. "I would have thought you were busy in Santoff Claussen." Ombric seemed to consider the matter and then spoke.

"We made time, Mistress Seraphina," Ombric said. Seraphina gave Ombric a soft smile and then turned to Katherine.

"Hello Katherine," she said. North looked on furiously. Misty and Jack seemed to notice because Jack was scratching his head and Misty just looked confused.

"Is something wrong North?" Jack asked. Katherine looked at Ombric and he nodded. Katherine took a deep breath let it out.

"He's mad because Seraphina kidnapped me awhile back," Katherine said. Jack and Misty looked even more confused.

"So? You guys kidnapped us," Jack said.

"Mom will sometimes drag us here against our will for what she calls a 'decent family meal'," Misty added in.

"And we certainly got over it," Jack said. "Come on North. I didn't think you were the type to hold grudges." North stayed silent during the exchange. A large bang came from across the pavilion and Jack and Misty looked at each other.

"Excuse us for a second while we go teach the meaning of 'Do Not Touch' to some fall spirits," Jack said. They flew off and Katherine turned to North.

"They're right, you know. We're spirits. Holding grudges isn't good for us," Katherine said, giving North a look that he had never been able to resist. North sighed and turned to Seraphina.

"Maybe it is time to forgive and forget," North admitted. Seraphina smiled and walked away. Katherine smiled.

"See? It only took five hundred years."

* * *

Seraphina's celebration was well under way. The guests had trickled in and now were just standing and talking about things that had happened. Celebrations were more than just get togethers; it was the best way to spread the news. Everyone was occupied with something and most were trying to block out outside distractions. Even Jack was busy talking with some of his winter rivals.

Which is why no one saw Misty slip away into the spring section.

No one, except for Katherine.

* * *

***banging my head on the wall in stupidity*AKK! I'm really sorry about how this turned out. It didn't want to be written at all. Next time, I should listen to my conscience. Ugg, not sure if this was a good idea or not. Oh well...**

**This is going to be a two parter so you'll have to wait for the next update. Until then, please review.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Moonlight Story

**This is my first attempt at romance, but I gennerally don't like it so you won't see me doing much more. I don't know if this was a good idea or not, but this needed something so, here we go. I don't own RoTG and if you are reading this and you haven't read 'Darkened Waters' please stop reading now.**

* * *

Katherine slipped away from the crowd, pretending she was feeling claustrophobic. In reality, she was following Misty. Katherine was worried about her. She considered Misty to be her best friend, and she wanted to make sure she was okay. Katherine knew Misty was different. No matter how many people compared her to Jack, she was her own person.

As they walked, Katherine found herself in the summer section. Each of the four seasons felt different, and this one was no exception. The plants were in full bloom and everything was green, but something felt different. It wasn't the same kind of growth as spring. It was harsher, wilder, and less tamed. The plants that were growing were hardier, less likely to die in the summer heat. It felt a little like Misty, wild and untamed. Summer and winter were the two extremes, and maybe that's why Jack and Misty were chosen to be opposites. Both needed someone who could control the wildness.

Katherine felt like she was walking in circles, but eventually, she saw Misty come upon a gazebo. Misty walked into the gazebo and stood there, her hair swaying with the wind. It looked like she was looking for something. Katherine ducked behind a tree and watched the scene unfold.

Like a shooting star coming down to Earth, a small flash of light came down next to the gazebo. Katherine blinked and saw a teenage boy walk out of the light. He was spectral, somewhat hard to see, but he looked a little taller than Misty. In his hand, he held a staff with a tip that glowed like moonlight. The boy had a joyful smile on his face. Katherine would recognize that smile anywhere. It was Nightlight. What was he doing here?

Misty walked up to Nightlight and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hello Nightlight," she said, almost in a whisper. Nightlight placed a hand on her shoulder and they touched foreheads. He then slowly ran his fingers along Misty's collarbone. Katherine gritted her teeth. She knew she was jealous, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. Being around spirits, misunderstandings could turn deadly, so she just observed.

Misty slowly positioned herself until both of her arms were wrapped around Nightlight. Nightlight returned the favor and they stood there, a small shaft of moonlight illuminating them. Katherine's blood was boiling, but a glint caught her eye. A track of tears was running down Misty's face, her body was racked with sobs. Nightlight ran his hand along her hair until the shaft of moonlight passed on, the moon above covered by a cloud.

When the moonlight was gone, the two of them parted, Misty's tears dried up. Nightlight took his staff and drew out two glowing orbs of moonlight, pure and white. He combined them into a larger orb that brightly glowed. Misty reached into her pocket and pulled out a golden stone. She grabbed the top and bottom of the stone and twisted. The stone split apart, leaving two halves in her hand. Both halves of the stone contained a golden liquid. Misty poured the golden liquid onto the moonlight orb and the light turned a creamy gold, and Katherine realized what they were making.

They were making a Security.

A Security is like a spirit's failsafe, and each one was unique. It retains a spirits' identity and powers so if a spirit is destroyed or turned into a fearling, it's possible to get them back. It's part of the reason why Sandy was able to come back after being destroyed. Securities also help keep a spirit from fading. A curious thing about them is that some don't need one, and some can't survive without one. They are possible to make, but the process is long and hard. Losing a Security was almost impossible, but it happened on occasion, especially if the spirit was gravely injured. Katherine figured that something had happened to Misty because Nightlight had once told her that his Security was essential to his survival.

Misty held the Security in her hand and Nightlight smiled. Nightlight then closed his eyes and Katherine watched on in shock as a glowing sphere emerged form Nightlight's chest. The sphere was silver and blue and little waves could be seen on the surface of it. It was a Security, but certainly not Nightlight's. It looked like it belonged to Misty. Katherine reeled in shock. Spirits only gave someone else their Security in a dire emergency. What had happened?

Katherine reached into the bag she was carrying and pulled out a golden picture book. She then flipped to a random page and picked up a pen. Being the Guardian of Storytelling, she could relive any moment in time. After all, history is nothing but a collection of stories. She started writing on the book.

_Show me what happened between Nightlight and Misty…_

The book slowly started to form pictures and Katherine was swept away into the past.

* * *

The air was still, and the sky was cloudy, the moon couldn't be seen. From what Katherine could tell, it was roughly one hundred fifty years ago. Katherine looked around at the tall trees around her and started walking. The sound of whinnying turned her to a clearing in the woods. There, she saw Nightlight fighting a swarm of fearlings. She wanted to help, but this wasn't the past. It was only a retelling. She couldn't do anything.

The fearlings crashed into Nightlight and he was blown back. His bright glow had faded dramatically and he looked very afraid. The fearlings hissed and charged him. Nightlight brought his staff up and with a final blast of moonlight, destroyed the fearlings. He then collapsed on the ground, moaning in pain. A dull sphere fell from Nightlight's chest and Katherine screamed. Nightlight's Security was destroyed. He wouldn't survive for much longer. Katherine ran to him and even though she couldn't change the past, she kneeled on the ground and stroked his chin. Nightlight was dieing, and MiM, Nightlight's great friend, couldn't see it.

Katherine heard a few leaves crunch and she turned around. Behind her stood Misty. She had on a blue dress that swept her knees and her hair was longer than it was now. Misty ran over to Nightlight, kneeling next to him. In his confusion, Nightlight brought up his staff and struck Misty across her collarbone. Misty reeled back, slightly bleeding, but didn't give up.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Nightlight slowly shook his head, his body convulsing.

"Can you speak?" Misty asked. Nightlight nodded and turned to face Misty.

_My Security is gone…I can't survive without it…_Nightlight said in his otherworldly voice, a voice that echoed, but at the same time was close and comforting. Misty looked flustered, and then closed her eyes. Katherine watched as Misty's Security floated out. Misty then pressed the orb into Nightlight's chest. Nightlight glowed bright and then sat up. He regarded Misty curiously, as if he couldn't understand what was happening.

_Why did you do that? _Nightlight asked. Misty smiled, but she looked tired, as if a part of her was missing, which one was.

"I don't really know. I just knew that you looked hurt and I didn't think anyone who glows with moonlight could be bad," Misty said. "My name is Misty. What is your name?"

_I am Nightlight, _he said. Nightlight then seemed to notice the little line of blood along Misty's collarbone. He traced the wound and then looked at Misty as if he was asking if he did that.

"Oh, don't worry about that. It'll heal," she said. Nightlight shook his head and glowed brightly for a second. The wound sealed itself up, knitting the flesh with a thread of moonlight. Nightlight looked up and a sad expression was on his face.

_I will get this back to you, I promise, _Nightlight said. Misty nodded and helped Nightlight stand up. The moon started to peak out of the clouds and Misty turned to go.

"Take your time Nightlight, I don't need it. Good bye." Misty flew off into the night, the wind taking her higher and higher into the sky. Nightlight looked up and waved to Misty.

_Good-bye, my friend._

* * *

Katherine came back to reality, shocked. She wasn't sure what she was going see, and now she felt horrible. It explained why Nightlight had stroked Misty's collarbone, and why Misty was crying. Misty and Nightlight had a different sort of bond than she and Nightlight did. After all, Nightlight had access to all of Misty's thoughts, feelings, and memories. Katherine placed her book back in her bag and turned to leave. Might as well give them their privacy.

Katherine walked back to the pavilion, wanting to get there before Nightlight did. The pavilion came into sight and groups of spirits came into view. Most of them said something along the lines of 'have a nice walk' or 'where's your boyfriend?' Katherine chose to ignore them. She walked over to get something to drink and saw Nightlight standing there. Good Moon, he can fly fast. Nightlight looked up and gave Katherine a huge smile. He handed her a glass of lemonade and she smiled.

"Hello Nightlight," she said, making it seem she hadn't seen him tonight. Nightlight gave Katherine a hug, and she let out a small breath of relief. He hadn't seen her. Katherine hugged him back and they moved over to a pillar, enjoying each other's company. Katherine noticed that Nightlight was glowing a little brighter than usual, and he seemed more complete. She guessed that Nightlight's new Security must have been working its charms.

A bit of music started to play and Katherine watched as Seraphina waltzed onto the dance floor in the arms of a young man with dark hair and an intricate watch on his wrist, Watch, or Father Time, as he's commonly known. They swirled around the pavilion, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Katherine had heard that Seraphina and Watch were lovers, but she hadn't really believed the gossip until now.

Katherine watched as many couples started dancing on the floor. Jack had swirled Misty onto the dance floor and Auty picked up Lily. The siblings danced around Seraphina, stepping in time with the music. She watched as couples traded partners as the music slowly changed. Katherine set down her glass and gave Nightlight a look. Nightlight took Katherine in his arms and they spun onto the floor.

Nightlight led her around, stepping with the grace of a professional. Katherine could feel herself going a little light headed, but managed to control herself as they danced. It had been a long time since they had been this close, and Katherine wished their work didn't take them apart as often as it did. Nightlight spun her around and they swirled from one end of the floor to the other. They passed Jack and Misty who were smiling at each other, looking more like teenagers at a prom than twins. Misty glanced up and gave them a smile before Jack swirled his sister away. Katherine looked up and gave Nightlight a smile.

"What kept you?" she whispered. Nightlight smiled and leaned in close, letting the music carry them around.

_Just helping a good friend, _he whispered back. Katherine didn't press the manner and leaned her head to the side, letting their lips connect. Nightlight always felt warm to her, warm enough to make her feel comfortable. The music started to fade away and their lips came apart. Nightlight held her close and they moved off the dance floor, allowing others to take their place. Katherine and Nightlight moved over to the side, she still in his embrace.

"I love you, Nightlight," she said. Nightlight didn't respond, but hugged her a little closer. Katherine smiled and watched the light of the stars glitter. She was certain she would never bring up her little spying endeavor.

After all, some stories are ones that don't need to be told.

***banging head in stupidity, again* AAARG! Why do I keep doing things I always regret aftarwards! Okay, the next chapter will be a little more of my standard and I'm still taking suggestions...**

**Please?**

**Until then, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3: A Day Together

**This chapter is a tad odd, but I needed something to go between the last chapter and the next. I don't own RoTG so, enjoy!**

* * *

Jack flew over Burgess, the wind lashing around him. It was now February, and things were finally back to normal. Well, somewhat normal. In the last week alone, they had to hunt down fifty-four rouge nightmares, ninety-eight non-rouge nightmares, and seventeen and a half fearlings (don't even ask). Once Saturday had hit, Jack and Misty had put their feet down. They said that unless the world was ending, Code P came into effect, or Pitch had taken over the pole, do not interrupt our outing. It had become a yearly tradition for them and they already had to postpone it twice because of nightmare hunting or job problems. Nothing short of a meteor was going to stop them from having a day together.

"Hey Jack, want to have a snowball fight?" Jack heard Jamie shout. Jack flew a little lower and waved at the assembled kids. It was all eleven kids from the most recent Battle of Burgess.

"Sorry Jamie. Misty's expecting me," Jack shouted. The kids shouted their protests and Jack put his hands up.

"Another day guys. I promised her one-day, and I intend to keep that promise. See ya later!" Jack shouted. He sped away, taking the fastest path he could think of towards Ireland. Figuring he should at least look busy, he sent a few snowstorms over New England and southern Canada. Ireland came into view and Jack did a corkscrew in the air, hurdling himself down to the ground. There, he saw Misty just finishing up her painting. She had a large smile on her face as she twirled in the air, painting towering mounds of clouds. Jack liked seeing his sister so happy. In fact, the last time he had seen her this happy was when…

One second.

_Now, I can't include any time in the last twenty-five years, so that rules out a lot of our 'excursions'. Parties get thrown out immediately, as do any spirit get-togethers. Maybe our first prank war…no, that was a serious competition. The second prank war…no, we had about fifty spirits after our heads when we finished, although that was really funny. Maybe the time I took her ice-skating…that might be it…but that was over two hundred fifty years ago. Got it! Forty-five years ago and the outing that would go down in history._

So, to recap, the last time Jack remembered Misty this happy was forty-five years ago at an outing that would go down in history.

Back to the story.

Jack flew over and tackled Misty, bowling her over. Misty, at first, shouted but then started laughing as they wrestled in the sky. Jack managed to get Misty into a headlock, but she countered by smacking his head with her feet. Eventually, they stopped, too out of breath to do much more than float. They slowly flew away, letting the wind guide their movements. Jack smiled mischievously.

"Just for the record, I won," Jack said. Misty rolled her eyes and lightheartedly shoved Jack.

"Just for the record, _I_ won," Misty replied. England passed underneath them and Jack glanced at Misty. Misty shrugged her shoulders and they flew lower, coming upon London. They floated aimlessly as they watched people pass them by. Misty twirled her flute around and looked at Jack.

"Normal rules?" she asked.

"Yep. We stick together, we take turns, and we team up for which ever ones need both of us," Jack replied. Misty grinned and changed her flute to a staff.

"Let's get started then," she said. Jack positioned himself, feeling like a runner before the start of a race. "The 2013 Prank Battle begins…now!" He and Misty shot away flying around London as fast as humanly, er…spiritly, possible. Jack scanned the passing pedestrians, trying to find the perfect victim. As a rule, they couldn't do anything potentially lethal, but it was always interesting to see how far they could go. Besides, they usually could stop the prank before it got too out of hand (the Blizzard of '68 was an exception).

Jack spotted a woman carrying a stack of books that towered above her head. He lightly touched the sidewalk and sent a stream of frost in her direction. The woman started wobbling and a few books fell off her stack. She bent to pick them up and her feet came from under her. The woman ended up on her bottom and a few onlookers snickered. Jack turned to Misty who rolled her eyes.

"That was mean," she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Jack faked a bow and a large hand gesture.

"Your turn, my lady," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Misty whacked him on the head with her staff and scanned the area. She spotted a man with a briefcase in his hand. She flew down and carefully unclasped the lock. The man's papers started flying everywhere. It made for quite a show as the poor man started chasing his papers down the street. A simple trick, but an old classic.

"Is that the best you've got?" he said. Misty gave him a mischievous grin and Jack returned the favor.

"Oh, I'm just warming up," she replied. They continued to trade pranks. Jack threw a snowball at what appeared to be a stiff, upper-class man. Add in one of his snowflakes, a few kids, and an open field, and a very strange snowball fight erupted. Jack only made the fight escalate when he tossed a few snowflakes to some bystanders.

Misty spotted a woman walking what looked like a poodle. She made a dog treat start flying through the air (invisible to humans of course). The poodle started chasing after it, managing to drag the woman along with it. Jack had to laugh at that, seeing a five-pound poodle dragging a rather heavy-set woman. Unfortunately, the woman ran into a light pole. Both Jack and Misty winced.

Jack countered with making a roof full of snow fall on some unexpecting kids. The only downside is that those kids believed in him and started throwing snowballs at him. He darted out of there as fast as the wind could carry him. Misty managed to get a laugh out of that, but Jack was pretty sure she was laughing at him.

The highlight of the day was when they flew pass a group of women coming out of a store. Jack gave Misty a grin and they dived down. Jack made the wind whip around the women, temporarily blinding them. Misty then melted a little bit of ice behind the front woman. She slipped and toppled backwards over her companions. Misty flew over to Jack, trying to refrain from splitting her sides with laughter. Jack barely acknowledged her as he was already holding his sides. They slowly flew off and settled on the top of a roof, watching the sunset.

"This was really overdue," Misty said.

"Definitely," Jack replied, watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of pink, orange, and yellow. Misty had once told Jack that this was her favorite part of the day, watching the stars coming out one by one. Jack liked sunset, but he usually preferred twilight, the moment when it's neither night nor day, the true time of spirits. There's a reason why in the past people said that night was the realm of spirits. Spirits tended to like night better than day. It meant that they could do what they wanted without too much fear of getting walked through. It was also the only time when a lot of spirits could work. After all, teeth can't be collected, presents can't arrive, eggs can't be hidden, and dreams can't be given if someone is awake.

Jack heard a bang from the alleyway below. He peered over the edge and motioned for Misty to look over. She peered over and her face turned sour. Some older teenagers had ganged up on a little girl, and were shoving her around. The little girl whimpered as the bullies laughed.

"Now listen here girly, you give us your money, and we'll let ya go," one of the boys said, grabbing the girl's arm. The little girl burst into sobs.

"I don't got any!" she screamed. Jack grimaced. He didn't like bullies one bit. Having seen lots of bullies, and being a victim of a few, Jack had a resentment of them like no other. Plus, it went against his center. Being bullied, or being a bully, is no fun at all.

Jack flew down and first checked to see if the little girl could see him. He waved at the girl, but didn't get a response. Misty flew down and tried the same. Nothing. This was going to be a little tricky.

"Got an idea?" Misty asked Jack. He shrugged.

"You're the Guardian of Imagination. What do you think we should do?" Jack asked Misty. Misty scratched her head and twirled her flute around.

"I've got an idea, but I'm not sure it'll work. Can you make the temperature drop?" Jack quickly made it a good deal colder around the teenagers while Misty made a nice, thick fog. The teenagers looked around confused.

"When did it get so damn foggy and cold?" one of the teens asked. Another teen whacked the first one on the head and told him to shut his face. Jack looked at Misty and she closed her eyes. Misty slowly made the fog around them thicken and Jack had a small aha moment.

For a long time, spirits had tried, and failed, to create a spell that would allow humans to see them. Misty and Jack had experimented for a long time and they finally found something that somewhat worked. If Misty made the fog directly next to their skin darker, it was possible to form a ghostly apparition of themselves. Granted, it wasn't good for getting believers, but in this situation, it would be better for them to look like ghosts.

Jack watched as Misty started to take on a ghostly form. The fog slowly got darker until Misty was completely dark gray. Jack glanced down at his hands and saw them covered in gray as well. He slowly started to float next to the girl. The little girl didn't seem to be to frightened, but the teenagers' faces were priceless. The teenagers backed away, their faces masks of horror.

"W-what's that?" one of the teens asked. Misty floated in the direction of the teenagers and held out her hand. The fog started to thicken at a faster pace and the wind kicked up. If Jack didn't know better, he would've thought Misty was a spirit out for revenge.

_Ssshhee'sss oursss, _Misty said in an echoy voice. Now that the teenagers believed something was in front of them, they could hear her, and now him too. Jack made the temperature drop even further and the teens shivered.

_Leaave usss, _Jack said in the same echoy voice. The teenagers couldn't get away fast enough. They scrambled over each other and took off, leaving the little girl behind. She looked up, her big brown eyes staring straight at him.

"Thank you, Mr. Ghost for scaring them off. Thank you too, Miss Ghost," she said in a small voice. Jack nodded at Misty and she let the fog fall away. The girl's eyes widened when he and Misty started to appear. The little girl touched his hand and she gasped.

"You're not a ghost!" she exclaimed. Jack chuckled and shook his head.

"Not quite. My name is Jack Frost and over there is my twin sister Misty Fog. We're spirits," Jack explained. Misty flew over placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"What's your name?" Misty asked. The little girl looked at them and blinked a few times, as if she was trying to confirm this wasn't a dream.

"My name is Emily," she said. Jack smiled and picked the little girl up.

"Well, Emily, I don't think those bullies will be back any time soon. Let's get you home." Jack flew up, Emily in his arms. Emily pointed to a small house and they touched down. Emily hopped out off Jack and knocked on the door. A woman opened the door and cried out in joy. Emily was swept into the house, her family crowding around her. Jack smiled and flew back to Misty. The sky was now dark and Misty was back on the roof, watching the stars. She gave Jack a grin.

"Not a bad way to end the day," she said as Jack landed on the roof.

"All in a day's work for a Guardian," Jack replied. They heard a chiming and Misty glanced at Big Ben. The clock said 9:00. Misty groaned.

"Didn't North say we had to be back by 9:10?" she asked. Jack gave her a grin.

"Yes…but when are we ever on time anyway?" Misty shrugged and hopped up.

"Race ya to the pole," she said. Jack stood up and gave Misty a mischievous smile.

"You are not wining," he said. Misty gave him a mischievous grin back.

"Oh yes I am. On your mark, get set, GO!" Both of them sped out of London at a pace that out-flew most jets. Jack laughed.

Yep, all in a day's work for the Guardian of Fun.

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**Meh...not sure I liked this one but, oh well. I'm still accepting suggestions, because I'm not Misty. My imagination is good, but it's not that good. Until I update again, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Paintings

**First off, really sorry I haven't updated sooner. I've had the worst combination of writer-related diseases ever. They include: a mild case of writers block, a severe case of how-do-I-phrase-this-itis, a mild case of lack-of-inspiration-atosis, and random-two-day-weekend-vacation-that-no-one-told-m e-about-syndrom. So, that's my excuse.**

**I know, lame...**

**Any way, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you haven't read 'Darkened Waters', the second half of this chapter gives you the whole thirteen chapters in a nutshell. I don't own RoTG, and enjoy!**

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The ground was covered in snow, but one could feel a ray or two of warmth poking through. The snow was slowly melting away and spring was coming to the Northern Hemisphere at last. Slushy snow melted into steams of water that coursed down the slopes of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Granted, it was only early March, but after a particularly snowy winter, even a little heat was welcome. Bunny certainly agreed.

"Either that show pony Frostbite is sendin me on a wild goose chase, or Misty really doesn't want to be found, cause this is just getting ridiculous," Bunny muttered to himself as he hopped up the mountain. After Jack and Misty had their annual Prank Battle, the Guardians got serious about making Easter fabulous. Last year's Easter tanked and Christmas was either just as bad, or worse. This would be their best chance to get back believers until Christmas rolled around. Bunny admitted he had been a little over protective of his goggies lately, but even he realized that he couldn't possibly paint all of them in less than three weeks, so he swallowed his pride and went to find Misty. He admitted that she was a very good painter and could help him paint the eggs. There was just one little problem.

Misty had vanished off the face of the Earth. Again.

This was beginning to get very annoying.

After searching Ireland, Burgess, and Acionna's old river, Bunny went to the Winter Haven to ask Jack about Misty's whereabouts, thinking that he would at least have some sort of clue. When Bunny phrased the question, Jack looked up and his eyes were hard, as if the answer was forbidden to say. Finally, he said in a very cryptic manner, "North Carolina." Then, Jack flew away, leaving Bunny more confused than ever. Bunny had never, ever seen Jack look even close to that serious, not even when he was fighting Pitch. Something was up. Bunny could feel it.

Bunny bounded up and down the mountains, getting more and frustrated with each stride. He had started at the coast and worked his way inland. The thickening fog signaled that she was close. Bunny kept hopping and finally found a telltale sign that Misty was here: a light, shimmery mist that Misty would often use for cloaking objects. Bunny hopped into the mist and looked around. Still nothing. As he continued to hop through the mist, it slowly dissipated until Bunny found himself next to a cave bluff. The rock around the cave was strangely smooth, but that wasn't the only surprising thing.

What was really surprising were the paintings on the rock. The paintings were of many different things. Most were seasonally related from the sheer amount of flowers, suns, leaves, and snowflakes. Others were of specific places, like a grove or a secluded lake. A few were of children playing, their smiling faces looked alive. A few stars were scattered around the paintings, each seemingly glowing.

One star next to a sun painting caught Bunny's eye. This star looked different than the rest. All of the others were five-pointed stars like what you would see on a kid's backpack or shirt. This star was blue-ish white with four elongated points coming off the sides. Little, white, lace-like patterns were sketched into the painting, giving the painting remarkable depth. In the center of the star, the silhouette of a girl could be seen, but just barely. Bunny had to admit, the artist who painted these was remarkably talented.

"Jack? Is that you?" a familiar voice asked. "I thought you weren't coming to-" Bunny saw Misty turn a corner and she froze mid-flight. She had her flute in hand and her long blue hair was up in a ponytail, something Bunny had never thought he would ever see. Her face was a mask of shock.

"Bunny? What are you doing here?" Misty asked. Bunny turned and faced Misty.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied. Misty took a deep breath and motioned to the wall paintings.

"I'm painting," she said. Bunny could feel his eyes slightly widening and he looked at the paintings.

"All of these are yours?" he asked. Misty floated over to the wall. She traced her finger on one of the paintings and nodded her head.

"Yep. Three hundred years by yourself gives you a lot of time to develop a talent. This is just a small collection though. Most of my work is in the caves around here," she said. Bunny instantly felt a jab of sorrow coursing through his body. Even though the paintings were beautiful, they were a product of Misty's loneliness. The Guardians still felt bad that they had isolated the twins so much, especially Bunny. He's the Guardian of Hope for moon's sake. He could feel the hopelessness flowing off of both of them, especially when the Guardians had believed that they had betrayed them. The twins had gotten better, but Bunny could feel that Misty wasn't quite ready to accept the fact that she wasn't alone any more.

Bunny traced another painting, this one of a few children playing soccer. "Shouldn't ya be busy with the spring fog and such?" he asked. Misty shrugged and aimlessly twirled her paintbrush around.

"I thought I would take a little break and paint. Besides, it's not like Lily and the rest of the global spring spirits can't make fog and rain," Misty replied. She then looked up, her eyes wide.

"How did you find me?" she asked. Bunny was taken aback. Something told him that she wouldn't like the answer.

"Frostbite gave me the general location. Why?" Bunny asked. Misty breathed a sigh of relief and touched the rock wall.

"Jack always has been one to bend rules," Misty said. "Jack once promised me that he'd never tell anyone where I went to do my painting. He didn't have to, but he felt like he had to I guess. Jack has always been very protective of me, even before we knew we were twins. He understood my need of privacy, and I think that's why he made that promise." They stood there for a little while, neither wanting to break the silence. Misty glanced at Bunny and raised her eyebrow.

"Why were you looking for me?" she asked. Bunny shrugged his shoulders and gave Misty a small chuckle.

"I was hoping you'd want to help painting my goggies, but you seem to be a little busy," Bunny said. Misty shook her head.

"Oh, not really," Misty said hurriedly. Bunny rolled his eyes.

"You're busy, aren't ya?" Bunny sarcastically said. Misty twirled her paintbrush and sighed.

"How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" Bunny asked back.

"How do you always manage to guess when Jack and I are lying?" Misty asked. Bunny chuckled.

"Instinct. Plus, you two are horrible liars," Bunny said. Misty groaned.

"Great, more things to work on. I was going to start a project, but it can be put on hold for now," Misty said. "Now, what was this about painting eggs? I thought you were super protective of them."

"Under normal circumstances, yes. Right now? Help could be useful," Bunny replied. "Ya sure ya want to help? I can wait a few hours," Bunny said. Misty twirled her paintbrush and shrugged.

"Okay. You want to watch?" Misty asked. Bunny shrugged, trying not to think of the mountain of eggs left to paint. He followed Misty as she entered one of the many caves. From the looks of it, Misty had been preparing the cave for quite some time. The sides of the cave were very smooth and streams of light came through small openings towards the top of the cave. The whole area was quite well lit.

Misty flew right next to the cave entrance and started to paint. Watching Misty paint was unlike anything Bunny had ever seen. She didn't paint one person or object at a time, she painted the whole scene at once. She drew her paintbrush against the wall and the picture started to form, not unlike the coloring pages with the magic markers that make it impossible to go outside the lines. The first scene appeared and Bunny blinked away surprise.

It was a picture of Misty flying over Burgess. The Misty in the painting was the Misty with the splinter in her, so she had her indigo hair and the light blue dress. The painting Misty looked like she was laughing, but at the same time, there wasn't the same glow in her eyes.

Misty continued to paint and Bunny watched scene after scene unfold. He saw Misty playing with the Burgess kids, building snow sculptures that resembled rabbits. The next painting was of Misty staring off into the night, watching tendrils of dreamsand fill the night. She was sitting on a tree limb and if Bunny squinted, he could just make out a woman floating next to Misty. The next scene showed a small competition between her and Jack and Bunny realized what the project was.

Misty was recreating her journey as a Guardian.

Bunny watched as the scenes unfolded. Jack flinging Misty through a portal, elves playing the fanfare, North's talk with Misty, the story kept unfolding. Bunny watched Misty paint out the sleigh ride and slightly fumed at his expression. Painting him looked terrified. He was really going to have to fix that.

The next scene showed Misty's little stunt on the sleigh. That one led into the portal to Sandy's island, the subsequent battle, and Little Sand's rescue. The next one showed Pitch's takeover of Misty, their regrouping, and the dream-spreading idea. Bunny braced himself for the next onslaught of pictures.

The dream-spreading pictures recorded everything they did, from Jack and Misty's team-up, to the humiliating house that left both Bunny and North trapped in a tunnel. That led into the little bit of trouble at Caroline's house and the out-of-control dreamsand orb. Bunny made a mental note to never let that happen again.

Misty started to slow down as she painted the Burgess Battle. She showed her and Sandy's chase and the trap Pitch got them in. The next scene was of the Guardian's entry and some battle scenes. Misty took her time with the painting of North's fall. She painted a transition painting that moved from the strike to the moment North disappeared. Bunny could tell this one was hard for Misty to paint.

The memorial service was painted with very exquisite detail. Just like the real occasion, Misty was up in the rafters, looking down at what was going on. Next to Misty was a small cloud that resembled North. The whole painting was painted in a duller tone than the rest.

The next few scenes depicted the workshop chaos that followed, including one of Sandy sewing and Tooth and her Mini Fairies repairing the bikes. That one led into Misty and Little Sand's journey to the Burgess woods. Bunny watched carefully, not quite sure what he would see.

The paintings unfolded cautiously. Misty seemed to be confused. In a light silver, one could make out the word 'Misty'. This continued until Misty found a broken bed and jumped through it. Bunny watched as Misty tried to get the dream helpers free, but was distracted by a little silhouette girl. He watched as Pitch started to torment Misty. Again, in silver letters, were some of the things Pitch said to Misty.

_You're afraid that you'll never know why you're all alone__._

_The Guardians will never trust you._

_You always find yourself in the worst of situations._

Bunny watched as the scenes showed Misty's arrival at the pole and her moment of supposed betrayal. The painting of her in the mirror was hard to look at, especially for Bunny. After all, he pushed her away.

The next couple of scenes were some of the most shocking. Bunny watched Misty and Pitch talk, Misty always hesitating to reach out and grab Pitch's hand. In silver letters above Misty's slender hand and Pitch's ashen one said something that Bunny was sure would haunt him forever.

_You wouldn't have to worry about the children's belief anymore._

Despite what Misty might have thought, Bunny guessed that something wasn't quite right with her. Bunny wanted to ask, but thought it would be better if she continued to paint without interruptions.

The pictures came faster now. One showed of Misty's refusal, another of Little Sand in a cage next to a fearling. Misty was gaining speed. Misty resuing Little Sand. Pitch snapping Misty's paintbrush and knocking her off the cliff. One of Misty huddling on the cliff ledge made Bunny's guilt continue to rise. Misty's tooth box was in a picture and Misty visibly slowed. She continued to paint, but with more precise strokes.

The first one was of a little girl with brown hair and brown eyes holding a paintbrush in her had. The second one was of the same girl with a boy sitting next to her. The little boy gave the girl a flute. The third one had the same two children, but they were much older. In the girl's hand was a staff of wood and in the boy's hand was a staff of metal. You didn't have to be Einstein to figure out who the children were.

The next few scenes slowed Misty down even further. Bunny watched as Misty helped a little girl that resembled her to shore in a flood. He then watched horrified as Misty was overtaken by a wave. Bunny stared at Misty as she stopped for only a second before continuing. They say a picture speaks a thousand words. They were very right.

Misty picked up speed again. The fixing of her paintbrush, Little Sand's recovery, the globe in Pitch's lair all came very fast. The scene after that one was was very powerful. It was of Caroline was staring at cloud pictures of the Guardians. The next one showed Caroline seeing Misty and Misty's apparent jubilation. The picking up of the kids and the flying carpet battle were next. Jack and Misty's meeting was a simple picture of them hugging, but it was very sweet.

The battle was represented with only a few, but that's all that was needed. North's return got spotlighted, as did Caroline's conversion of the splinter. The last painting before Misty got to the other side of the cave door showed her transformation back to normal, everyone else looking on in wonder. Misty took in a deep breath and flew up to the ceiling. Her strokes were fast and light and the end picture was her taking the oath.

Finally finished, Misty flew to the cave floor and promptly collapsed. Bunny scratched his head and tapped Misty's shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked. Misty looked up and sighed.

"Give me an hour or two and I'll help you paint eggs," she said. Bunny shook his head.

"Nah, I'll manage for a few days. You look wiped out. Get a decent night's sleep and find me in a few days. Ya gonna be alright?" Misty nodded. Bunny nodded and bounced off.

"See ya later then, Drizzle. You've got a lot of talent."

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Misty breathed out a sigh of relief. Bunny didn't suspect a thing. She sat up and stretched her muscles.

Time for the real project to begin.

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**Dun, dun, dun! Now, those last four sentences won't come back for a while, but keep them in your head. As for the next chapter, we'll be meeting someone new. To MidnightWolf191, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about ;)**

**Until then, please review (I desperately need ideas for chapters).**


	5. Chapter 5: When Weather Goes Wild

**First off, I owe all you guys an apology. I went on a week-long vacation and had absolutely no opportunities to update. Sorry about the long wait. Next time, I'll find a way to notify you guys before I go on a vacation without a computer.**

**Secondly, I guess I should explain the strange foot note from the last chapter. Remember back in 'Darkened Waters' when I said I would give out a prize to the first reviewer who guessed that Misty was Jack's twin? Well, that prize went goes to MidnightWolf19! The prize was the oppertunity to create an OC for this fanfic, and now, we get to meet that OC. I hope you like how the OC turned out!**

**I'll go ahead and say I don't own RoTG and enjoy!**

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Before June 25, 2013, Jack could count using only his nose how many times he had seen Misty mad enough to involuntarily have a storm cloud following her around. June's monthly meeting had just started and for once, Jack had come on time. He and Misty were doing a little 'bonding activity' when Misty got a message from Seraphina saying to meet her in the Glade. Misty had told Jack to head to the meeting without her. Jack flew towards the pole without a second thought as to why Seraphina wanted Misty.

That turned out to be a bad idea.

"Of all the most inconvenient times in the world, why did it have to be now!" Misty ranted as she stormed around the globe room, blasting everything and anything that got in her way. Jack could actually see the steam clouds coming out of her ears. Elves, yetis, and Guardians alike stayed out of her destructive path. "Why did a summer spirit decide to go rouge now!"

"Who is it?" Jack carefully asked, dodging a jet-like blast of water.

"Does it matter!" Misty screeched. "We're in the middle of a historic heat wave and this is only adding to the mess already caused by a lack in water spirits. I swear on the Man in the Moon that when I get my hands on that no good creep I'll…" The remainder of the rant was so laced with profanity that even Bunny was wincing at the content.

Jack wisely kept his mouth shut as he watched his sister storm out of the room, the gusts of wind slowly dieing down. The rest of the Guardians had confused and alarmed expressions on their faces. Tooth had gone slack-jawed, Bunny and Sandy were scratching their heads, and North was stone stiff. Bunny was the first to recover.

"What in moon just happened?" Bunny shouted. Jack sighed and scratched his head.

"To put it simply, Misty's pissed," Jack said. Bunny rolled his eyes.

"Congratulations mate. You just won the understatement of the year award," Bunny said as sarcastically as possible. Tooth looked up, concerned.

"Will she be alright Jack?" Tooth asked. Jack smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm pretty sure she'll be back to normal after she's finished with crowd control," Jack said. "No guarantees though. The last time I saw her like this was one hundred years ago give or take, and long story short, that particular summer spirit has yet to show his face in public." Everyone nodded their heads in understanding and tried to resume the monthly meeting. Not five minutes had passed when Jack's staff started glowing bright blue. Jack dropped his staff in surprise and everyone watched as a holographic projection of Auty appeared on the wall.

"Calling all seasonals!" the projection shouted. "We've got a GHN in the southwest United States! Massive out of control wildfires have sprung up everywhere and reinforcements are needed now!" Jack's staff stopped glowing and the hologram faded. The Guardians gave Jack his second confused look of the day. Jack sighed and picked up his staff.

"And now I have to go help with wildfire control," Jack said. Tooth looked at Jack with concern.

"Jack, what was that about wildfires?" she asked.

"You guys remember Auty right?" Jack asked. The Guardians nodded, remembering the firey haired kid that supposedly could give Jack a run for his money. "Well, during the summer months, he and a specific group of seasonal spirits will fly around the world putting out wildfires and the like. Most of the time, they can handle the fires, but every so often, the wildfires are too strong to be put out by just a few, so he'll call out a GHN alert."

"But Jack, he's asking you to help with a wildfire. Isn't that bad for winter spirits?" North said. Jack shrugged.

"I've helped with them before. As long as you steer clear of the larger flames, things tend to go just fine," Jack said nonchalantly. Bunny raised his eyebrow.

"What's a GHN?" he asked.

"Officially, it stands for Great Help Needed alert, but everyone calls it a Get Here Now alert because you're expected to get there as fast as possible. Most seasonals have something equivalent to a staff or something and when a GHN happens, our respective items glow and, well, you know what happens next. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go help Auty and the fire brigade." Jack then grabbed a random snow globe and shook it.

"Let's see, don't want to get too close, so let's go with Phoenix, Arizona. See you guys later!" Jack smashed the snow globe and jumped through before the Guardians could voice their protests. The portal opened up and Jack flew out. Misty was right, this heat wave was historic. Thankfully, he was high enough so the suppressive heat couldn't reach him. Jack took a look around and spotted what he needed to see. Plumes of smoke were rising in the distance.

"Auty wasn't kidding," Jack mumbled as he sped off in the direction of the rising smoke. He wasn't even near the fires when a wash of heat hit him. Jack recoiled at the sheer intensity of the heat, baking everything, including his skin. Summoning the wind, he formed a barrier of ice around him that would hopefully allow him to get closer to the fire without completely melting.

Jack dived into the smoke, looking for Auty or another of the fire brigade members. It wasn't long before he spotted a female fire brigade member that looked maybe seventeen or so. She had on a red t-shirt that was singed in a few places, black skinny jeans, and red combat boots. Jack flew down and she glanced at him.

"About time you showed up!" she shouted, her dark red hair kept aloft by the heat. Her silver eyes accusingly pierced Jack's and he fired back a response.

"Nice to see you too Casey!" Jack shouted back. Casey bonked him on the head, the blow softened only by her black, fingerless glove. Jack winced.

"What was that for?"

"That's for being late," she said. Her attention returned to the massive fire and she whipped out her black bow. Grabbing an arrow out of her silver belt, she fired the arrow into the fire. The arrow started absorbing the flames as it traveled before returning to Casey. She huffed and threw it on the ground, the arrow disintegrating into fine ash.

"Bad day?" Jack jokingly asked. Casey glared at him.

"Fire powers work better for starting fires, not stopping them Blizzard Brain," Casey said as she continued to fire off her arrows. "We've been fighting this monster for days and we're spread thin with more of these uncontrollable fires. It's no help that it's been a zillion and one degrees lately. Where's your sister by the way? We need water, and lots of it."

"About that," Jack said, sending a blast of ice at a burning tree that skipped melting and just evaporated on contact. "Misty's in the middle of hunting down a rouge summer spirit."

"Damn it all to the moon and back!" she swore. Jack continued to send out blasts of ice that did little more than make the flames blow over to the side before returning upright. Casey's arrows seemed to do more, but they only worked so much. The dry wood and air fueled the ever growing flames, and the fire seemed to grow with each passing minute.

Jack was about ready to contact Auty via wind messaging when a whirling noise could be heard overhead. Jack looked up and saw a helicopter fly over with water spraying out. Casey grabbed him and pulled him low to the ground.

"Duck!" she shouted as the water landed on the forest. Everything got soaked as the water continued to rain down. The flames started to die down, eventually sputtering out until the only thing left of the monstrous fire was a thin stream of steam. Jack untangled himself from Casey's grasp. He glanced at himself and at Casey and laughed. They both were drenched.

"Ducking didn't seem to do much," Jack pointed out. Casey bonked him on the head again.

"Shut it, you overgrown snowflake," she said, her voice slightly more humorous than usual. Jack smiled and stood up, covered head to toe in wet grime. Using his staff, he summoned a floating mass of snow over his head, attempting to wash the ash off. A fireball landed on the snow mass and it instantly melted, drenching Jack again. Wiping the water out of his eyes, he looked at an already dry Casey. Being a fire spirit had its advantages.

"I suppose I walked into that one," he admitted. Casey smirked.

"Definitely," she replied. A large crash turned both their heads to a large group of firefighters running through the trees, putting out the remaining fires.

"I guess our work is done," Jack said. Casey frowned.

"Don't get cocky kid. This is one of many we'll have to fight today," Casey said. Jack snorted.

"Who you calling a kid? I'm 275 years older than you," Jack said, pointing out that Casey was one of the youngest spirits alive in terms of years. Casey bristled, her body going stiff and flames flickered in her silver eyes.

"Yeah, well, I'm more mature than you'll ever be," Casey retorted, pointing out that mentally, she was older. Jack let out a hollow laugh.

"You sure about that, Burn Breath?" Jack mockingly asked. Casey clenched her teeth.

"Oh, you're asking for it, Blizzard Brain," she said, bringing up her bow. She brought an arrow out from her belt and blew on its tip, lighting the whole arrow on fire. Jack defensively brought up his staff. Casey fired the arrow and Jack jumped out of the way. It struck a partially burned tree and the tree burst into flames. Both Jack and Casey looked at each other and quickly put out the burning tree. Jack took a deep breath and flew over to Casey, his hand outstretched.

"How about we don't burn down the forest over a little name calling? Truce?" he asked. Casey scrunched her eyebrows and grasped Jack's hand.

"Truce," Casey said, shaking Jack's hand. He and Casey started walking out of the forest. Casey took a quick inventory of her remaining arrows and brushed off the ashes on her shirt. They came to a small field and sat down, Casey looking ready to fall asleep on the spot.

"Auty overworking you?" Jack asked. Casey huffed.

"I'm overworking myself, thank you very much," she said. Jack chuckled and let the matter drop. The smoke finally cleared and light poked through the darkened skies. The current time appeared to be around maybe eight or nine considering the sun was setting. For a sliver of time, everything was calm.

A loud beeping came from Casey's pocket and jolted both of them. Casey pulled out an old, battered walkie-talkie and pressed a button.

"Who is it?" Casey said. A lot of static came through but was replaced with Auty's voice soon after.

"Hey Casey, it's Auty. What's the situation?"

"The firefighters took over a little while ago. Everything looks normal over here. How are things where you are?" Jack leaned in, a little concerned for his adopted brother.

"Pretty bad. The fire is completely out of control. We have half the water spirits here and the fire just keeps coming. You haven't seen Misty anywhere, have you? I sent out the alert hours ago and no one's seen her." Casey grimaced and glanced at Jack. He nodded and picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Hey Auty, it's Jack. Long story short, Misty's doing summer spirit control."

"Malédiction tout cela à la lune et au dos! De toutes les fois petit inconvénient, pourquoi maintenant!" Auty shouted in French, temporarily deafening everyone in earshot, including Jack and Casey. "Jack, obtenez votre sœur ici dans les cinq prochaines minutes, ou…"

"Auty, you're speaking French again," Jack said. The walkie-talkie went silent. Casey glanced at Jack.

"I don't speak French, but he didn't sound happy," Casey said. The walkie-talkie frizzed again and Auty came back on, his voice noticeably less angry.

"Sorry about that Jack, Casey. Just get here as fast as you can. Over and out." The walkie-talkie fell silent and Casey gave Jack a bemused look. Jack sheepishly grinned.

"I guess we should go and help Auty," Jack sighed. He stood up and was about to take off when he spotted North's sleigh come down from the clouds.

"JACK FROST, YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!" he heard Tooth shout from the sleigh. Jack face-palmed and turned to Casey.

"Tell Auty I'll take a rain check on helping out with the fire. I'm pretty sure this constitutes as an exception," Jack said, a slight hint of panic in his voice. Casey smirked.

"Fly Jack, fly," she said as Jack sped off towards the Rocky Mountains, a jet-like sleigh close behind.

* * *

Casey chuckled and pressed a button that turned off a small tracking device she had 'borrowed' from North a few years back.

Yep, definitely worth it.

* * *

**If** **you're curious about what Auty said, here it is.**

**Curse it all to the moon and back! Of all the inconvenient times, why now! Jack, get your sister here within the next five minutes, or...**

**Of all the things I hate to write, the top one is the fact that very soon, I'll be heading back to school. That means my updates will (likely) be infrequent and sporadic. Sorry about that, but summer doesn't last forever.**

**On that happy note, please review as you see fit and see you later!**


	6. Chapter 6: My Story Begins

**How many different ways can I say I'm sorry? Not enough in my opinion. I'm try to update more frequently, but with school starting, who knows. Sorry guys. **

**This chapter and the next couple are going to be from Misty's POV, the only reason being that it's a lot easier for me to write Misty's past from her POV. I thought you guys might like Misty's backstory so here it is.**

**Misty: And the disclaimer?**

**Me: I'm getting there. I don't own RoTG and please enjoy. *does double take* How did you get in here!**

**Misty: Um, I flew in through the open window?**

**Me: But...why...how?**

**Misty: I think your readers want to get on with the story so I'll explain later. *thunk* Um, hello fanfiction readers, this is Misty Fog taking over for Lunrav14 as she is currently unconscious at the moment. Please enjoy the story and I promise to get her up as soon as spiritly possible. Now where is that air horn...**

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Darkness. That's the first thing I remember. I was underwater and it was cold and dark. I was floating lifelessly, and I didn't know who I was. I was scared. But then I saw the moon. It was a full moon, I remember that much. The moon was very bright, and as I floated to the surface, the darkness slowly fled until it wasn't there anymore, and I wasn't scared.

I remember breaking the surface of the water, gasping for air that I didn't realize I needed. My body floated into the air and I looked up at the moon. It seemed to be smiling at me.

_Your name is Misty Fog, _I heard the moon say. I knew it was the moon, not because no one else was there, but because the moon's voice felt warm and familiar, like the voice of a loving father. I was then gently lowered onto the surface of the water, my feet steading themselves on the surface. Little ripples extended from where my feet were and I turned a foot vertically. It slid right through the water, but it didn't feel wet. I pulled my foot out and it was completely dry.

_Is that normal? _I thought to myself. I looked back at the moon and raised an eyebrow. The moon kept shining, but no answers came. I looked at myself. I was wearing a faded blue dress with a little beadwork around the collar. My hair was blue, not unlike the water I was standing on. For some reason, I didn't have any shoes on.

"So, this is Misty Fog," I said to myself. I was really confused. What was I supposed to do? Looking to the edge of the water, I spied some trees that were covered in snow. Cautiously moving my feet, I took small steps to the line of trees.

As I was walking, my foot bumped a floating stick in the water. I looked at the stick curiously. A little band of silver metal around one end of the stick held many fine hairs that were shaped into a fine point. The word 'paintbrush' came though my mind and somehow, I knew that the paintbrush belonged to me. Maybe this was the moon's way of telling me what to do.

I picked up the paintbrush and blue and gray swirls appeared on the paintbrush. I dropped it in surprise. The paintbrush landed on the water and a small gray cloud appeared over it. Curious, I picked up my paintbrush again and drew a circle in the air. A large gray cloud appeared where the paintbrush had gone. I giggled a little bit. I wondered what else I could do.

I started spinning around, letting the tip of the paintbrush paint clouds behind me. The more I spun, the more clouds that came out of my paintbrush. Eventually, the little pond was completely shrouded in a thick fog. In fact, I couldn't even see where I was. I looked at my paintbrush in confusion.

"If this little thing can make clouds, it should be able to get rid of them, right?" I asked myself. I turned the paintbrush every which way, looking for something that could get rid of the fog. I even tried drawing a circle with the non-paintbrush tip. Nothing. In frustration, I pulled the paintbrush in two different directions.

Imagine my surprise when I heard a small click from my paintbrush. The paintbrush expanded into a long silver tube with equality spaced holes along it. Similar blue and gray swirls decorated the tube and it reflected the moonlight. I searched my mind for what it could be called and 'flute' popped up. Not knowing what else to do, I brought the flute to my lips and blew a random note.

A huge gust of wind came flying out of my flute, and the recoil knocked me off my feet. The gust of wind swirled around the pond and the clouds started to disappear. As I felt the wind die down, I decided to see what else my newly found flute could do. Standing up again, I blew a different note.

The wind came flying at a much faster rate. The recoil was so strong that I flew backwards for about fifteen feet and then was lifted into the air. I twirled around in the air, spinning head over heels, until I managed to straighten out. I couldn't believe it; I was flying! Everything looked so different from up there. I could see for miles. I was so excited that I was flying that the fact that the wind died down slipped my mind. At least until I fell.

"Aaaaahhhh!" I screamed as I plummeted towards the ground. I bounced off a few tree limbs and finally came to rest on one that looked to be about halfway up. The landing didn't hurt that much. In fact, I didn't get one bruise from the crash landing. I chuckled a little bit. _Guess I need some practice…_I thought to myself.

I stood on the tree limb and gazed into the distance. Not too far from where I was standing was a small town. Little lights could be seen and I knew that was a good sign. Lights meant people, right? Maybe I could get someone to explain to me what happened with the moon. Taking a deep breath, I blew the same note that got me into the air, but with a little less force. I shot up into the air, my flying shaky at best. I crash-landed twice before I got even close to the town. When I poked my head out of a snow bank I had landed in, an owl was staring at me. It shifted its head and flew away with the grace of a professional. I huffed.

"Show off…" I mumbled. I glared at my flute and shook it a few times. The wind shot me into the air at full force. I angled my body slightly forwards and I was finally able to go forward without crash landing. The owl from before flew next to me and nodded in approval. It then veered off to the right and soared back to the forest. I kept on my course.

The town came into view and I tried to come in for a smoother landing. Of course, this is when the wind decided to fail me and I dropped into my third snow bank, this one just outside the little town. I dug myself out and brushed the snow off of me. Once I had stood up, I walked into town.

Once I entered the town, it became clear that it was no more than a starting village at most. There were maybe four or five buildings, and none of them looked really fancy. The houses were only log cabins. Everyone was gathered around small fire pits and talking in hushed tones. Something about this town felt familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I walked pass a couple standing close to a fire. The woman had a black shawl on and her head was bowed. The man's face was grim.

"It's too bad what happened to the older Overland twins," the man said. Another woman nodded, dabbing her eyes with her shawl.

"Their poor mother. Losing two of her children to drowning, on the same day," she said. "Even if they were troublemakers." The man put his arms around the woman and hugged her.

"At least the younger two are safe," he said. Listening to the conversation made me feel sad. I didn't know who those kids were, but they sounded like people I would want to be around. I turned to the couple.

"Excuse me, who are the Overland twins?" I asked. The couple didn't respond. They didn't even look up. I was a little insulted. They could at least acknowledge my existence. Maybe teenage girls simply weren't worth their time. I turned away and walked over to an older woman.

"Excuse me, ma'am," I said. She didn't respond. I tried again. "Ma'am?" I asked. She still didn't respond. I waved my hand in front of her face and she didn't blink. I then noticed that the woman's eyes were milky-white and her ears were a little mangled. I backed off. Might as well not bother her. She has her own problems.

I finally walked over to a few kids playing with a ball. If anyone could tell me where I was, it would be these kids. One of them threw a ball in my direction and I ducked as the ball flew over my head. A young boy ran over to me at full throttle. I held out my hands to slow him down.

"Hey, do you think you could tell me where I-" My sentence was cut short as the boy didn't ram into me, he ran _through _me. I gasped. It felt like the air had been knocked clean out of my lungs. I looked down at myself. I was still there and I could feel the dress caress my skin, but the boy had passed through me like the only thing between him and the ball was air.

"Hello? Hello!" I shouted. Some more people walked over and walked right through me as well. A man walked through my shoulder, a woman's hand passed through my arm, I was scared. No one could see me, and worst off, no one even knew I was there. I panicked and ran from the town, away from the lights, the houses, the people. I just wanted to get away

Snow covered branches scratched my face as I blindly stumbled around the forest. I could feel tears coming to my eyes as my feet crunched the snow on the forest floor. Eventually, I came to a little pond and sat down at the edge, still shaking. I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm the wave of thoughts swirling in my head.

"Okay Misty. You can fly, you have a magical paintbrush/flute and no one can see you. I must be dreaming," I said to myself. A quick pinch on the arm disproved that theory. _If I not dreaming, then, what am I? _I thought to myself. The only other option was that I was a ghost, and I really didn't want to think of myself as dead. I was even more confused than before. I curled up into a little ball, a few tears leaking out of my eyes.

A sound like a snapping twig jolted me onto my feet. I watched as a teenage boy stumbled out of the trees and over to the pond. He was about my height, maybe a little taller, and he was skinny. His hair was as white as snow and his eyes were ice blue. He had on a white shirt and a brown vest that was a little too small for him. A brown cloak was around his shoulders and he had on brown trousers. In his hand was a brown staff that was curved at the top. Just like me, he had no shoes on.

The boy looked up and saw me standing there. He looked at me with a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and delight and then waved his hand. Startled, I waved back. The boy's face lit up and he ran over to me. He had on a wide grin and I couldn't help but smile back. It was contagious.

"You can see me?" he asked. I nodded my head.

"You can hear me?" I asked back. He nodded. Both of us sighed in relief.

"Good. I was thinking that I was ready for a mental institution," the boy said with a laugh. I couldn't help but laugh.

"You and me both," I replied. "No one can see you either?" The boy shook his head and leaned on his staff. His face fell a little bit.

"No, but at least we can see each other. That's a start," he said, giving me a glance. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Misty Fog," I said, holding out my arm. The boy grinned and shook it.

"My name is Jack Frost."

* * *

**Hey readers, still Misty here. Apparently, Lunrav14 is a very heavy sleeper because I have used one thousand two hundred fifty-seven airhorns at the exact same time to try and get her up (don't even ask how I managed to get one thousand two hundred fifty-seven airhorns to go off at the same time). Anyway, I'm sure Lunrav14 would wan you to review so review away and hopefully she will wake up sooner or later. And if she doesn't, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I filled in for her.**

***CRASH!***

**Jack! I told you we would save the elephants and tigers unless it was absoluetly nessesary!**


	7. Chapter 7: When the Wind Talks

**Hi guys, I'm alive! *rock flies through window* *glancing down at angry mob that is chanting "Update! Update!* Um...I'm sorry I haven't been able to update? I'll be a better author in the ****future? I'll stop the useless rambling and let you read because I don't own RoTG?**

**Wrong!**

**First, a continuation of what happened to me at the end of the last chapter.**

* * *

**Misty: Are you certain that there's nothing else we can do Sandy? *sandy shakes head no* Okay then...Jack?**

**Jack: On it! *picks up feather for extreme tickling* This should be interesting... *Misty and Sandy slowly back up***

***Jack procedes to apply the tickling to Lunrav's feet, cheek, belly, and pretty much any other ticklish spot you can think of***

**Lunrav: ha, ha, ha, HEHEHEHEHE! PLEASE STOP! UNCLE! UNCLE!**

**Jack: See, told you it would work.**

**Lunrav: *giving death glare to Jack* Thanks for getting me up. Now if you don't mind, I have a bit of updating to do so please shoo. I'm way behind.**

**Misty: Actually, I took care of that for you, and made a few little changes.**

**Lunrav: WHAT! *watches as the three Guardians bolt out the window* Great...**

* * *

**And now for our featured presentation.**

* * *

After I met Jack, things got considerably better. We spent every moment together, afraid we would loose each other and be alone again. Saying we were friends was an understatement. I understood how Jack thought, and he understood me. We were inseparable.

The first few days were all trial and error for us as far as powers went. I showed Jack how I was able to create clouds and he in return showed me how he made frost. We experimented constantly with what we could and couldn't do. I eventually got where the 'Fog' part of my name came from when my flute shot out enough to completely cover the entire little village in a thick fog. That was fun cleaning up.

We practiced flying every day because neither of us could fly straight for more than a few seconds. It took some willpower to get up into the air, and even more to keep the wind up. My guess is that we were staying in the air for no more than three minutes at a time, and all of it was shaky.

"Coming down!" I heard Jack shout as he plummeted from the sky. He landed face first into a snow bank, his staff landing next to him stuck straight up. I walked over to him as he got up and brushed the snow off of him.

"I think it's safe to say that jumping off a tree doesn't give you any extra time," he said.

"Dropping your staff probably didn't help," I said. Jack snorted and picked up his staff. We had exhausted pretty much every option. We flew next to birds, jumped off cliffs, and our last attempt was climbing up a tree and taking off from there. No such luck unfortunately.

"I wish we could talk to the wind," Jack said, wandering around the trees. I looked at him curiously. That fall must have addled his brain or something.

"Talk to the wind?" I asked. Jack nodded and kept twirling his staff.

"Yeah. You know, ask it to help us stay up or to fly straight, or something. I mean someone must be helping us stay up. Every time I go up in the air, I feel like someone is whispering in my ear, telling me to ask it for help. We've tried everything else, it can't hurt to ask, right?" Jack said. I thought about what he said. He was right, the wind was keeping us up, but could the wind be alive? To be completely honest, it wasn't really all that strange compared to what else we had tried.

"Okay," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Um, excuse me wind, could you please help us?"

_It's about time you asked._ I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the voice. The voice was feminine and it sounded nice, but stern. I looked around in a hundred different directions while Jack looked very confused. I didn't see anyone, but I knew I heard a voice.

"Hello?" I shouted.

_You don't have to yell. I'm right next to you,_ the voice said. I nodded my head and looked left and right. No one was there.

_I'm afraid it's impossible for you to see me,_ she said sadly. I didn't quite know what to do, but introductions never hurt.

"My name is Misty Fog. What's your name?" I asked. The wind swirled around me and I thought I heard a laugh carry around the forest.

_ I know who you are Misty, for I am a part of you. My name is Acionna, __and it is also your name as well._ I blinked once, twice, and tried to make sense of what she said. So I was part of the wind, and I was part of a strange talking woman who claimed that her name was also my name. My head was buzzing with strange thoughts and I took a few deep breaths.

"Wait, what?" I said, still more confused than ever. I heard Acionna sigh and if I could see her, she would probably be shaking her head like a mother who's child can't grasp the obvious.

_ Allow me to explain then. I was once a water goddess of Ancient Rome, __but I was growing tired of going on while my name slipped into obscurity. I __decided that it was time to pass on my powers to someone who could use them. __With the help of the Man in the Moon and a woman named Seraphina, we were __able to pass on my powers to you. When all was said and done, I became part of __the wind so I could help you out, and didn't you say you needed help?_ she said. I smiled sheepishly.

"Yes. My friend Jack and I are trying to learn how to fly. Can you help us?" I heard Acionna chuckle.

_ Have you bothered to look at your friend while we've been talking? _Acionna asked. I shook my head and looked at Jack. He was staring at me and he seemed very confused. Something was very off.

"Um, Misty? Who are you talking to?" Jack asked. I mentally groaned. Something told me that he thought I was talking to thin air.

"I'm talking to a woman named Acionna. She's part of the wind, and she's here to help," I said. Jack raised his eyebrows.

"You sure? I didn't here anyone talking," he said. Acionna chucked again. _Tell Jack to ask the wind personally_, she said. I shrugged my shoulders deciding that it couldn't hurt to listen to a two thousand or so year old water goddess.

"Acionna says that you have to ask the wind personally to hear anything," I said. Jack gave me the 'are-you-insane?' look, and then turned his head skyward.

"Hey wind, could you help us out?" he shouted. I watched in bemusement as he jumped fifteen feet into the air and swung his staff around. He then looked around the forest in about fifty different directions and started talking.

"Who are you…you're who? …I'm who! ...You have got to be joking, I am not an old man who doesn't know how to take a joke…How old are you again? …Oh…" The strange monologue kept up for about a minute and a half before Jack walked over with a sour expression on his face. I snickered a little bit.

"Who's an old man who doesn't know how to take a joke?" I asked, failing to keep a straight face. The uncontrollable urge to laugh burst out and I was bent over as the giggles just kept coming. Jack looked ready to smack me with his staff.

"His name's Old Man Winter, or Jokul Frosti, or Father Frost depending on the country, and I've got no idea if he actually likes me or not," Jack said, huffing.

_Jokul's never taken to people fast_, Acionna explained._ Now, do you want __to learn to fly or not?_ I nodded my head and Acionna breathed a sigh of relief. _Now, all you have to do is let me keep you up, and you can take it from there._

"That's it?" I asked. There was no way it could be that easy.

_That's it_, she said. I scratched my head and shrugged my shoulders.

"Okay the Acionna, take me into the sky," I said. Before I knew what happened, I shot up into the air faster than I had seen the hawks dive after prey. I felt the wind wrap itself under my arms, stabilizing my flight. Jack shot up next to me and we hovered in the air, neither of us really grasping the fact that we were in the air and we weren't about to crash into the ground. I no longer felt the wind around my arms, but I knew I wasn't going to fall. It was the strangest feeling in the world.

When I finally accepted the fact I wasn't about to go tree limb bouncing again, I glanced at Jack mischievously. He gave me a similar grin before jumping on me. We rolled around in the air, turning head over heels. Both of us were laughing with pure joy. I managed to bring my legs up and I flung him off me. Not bothering to see how far I kicked him, I turned around and sped away.

"Catch me if you can!" I shouted, taking off towards the ground. Jack sped after me and we started racing around the forest. I flew over branches, between rocks, and into open sky. All the while, Jack kept up next to me. I spotted a mischievous grin on his face and the panic registered too late.

SPLAT!

A perfectly formed snowball planted itself in the center of my face. Wiping the snow off my face, I glared at Jack, who seemed to find it funny. Well, two can play at this game. Diving down, I scooped up a handful of snow and chucked it at him, hitting his right in the face. Wiping the snow off, he gave me wide grin.

"Oh, it's on now!" he shouted, throwing a barrage at me. I quickly dodged the attacks, unable to swoop down and get another handful of snow. Instead, I whipped the wind in Jack's direction, hoping to stall long enough to do something.

_Why don't you just throw a ball of water at him? _Acionna asked.

"I can do that?" I asked. Acionna giggled, something I didn't think someone who's two thousand years old is allowed to do, and I got the feeling I was going to get another lecture on my powers.

_Oh Misty, you don't even know half the things you can do. There's so much for you to learn, and right here, I can only teach you so much. But what I am about to teach you is easy. To form a sphere of water, think about the essence of it. It should appear without too much effort, _Acionna said while I was dodging snowballs that spelled my doom if I got hit. Thinking that trying to form a ball of water sounded like my best option, I focused on water's properties; the color, the cool feeling, the wetness, and a perfect sphere of water appeared. Smiling in triumph, I whipped the water ball at Jack's head. The burst was spectacular.

"Hey!" he shouted, and the war began. Snowballs and water balls flew in all directions, both of us using every advantage we could think of. By the time the sun finally set, I was covered head to toe in snow and Jack was drenched. We called a truce and sat down on a tree limb, exhausted.

"That...was fun," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"You said it," Jack replied. "Since when can you make balls of water?"

"Acionna said I could," I replied, wondering where this was going. Jack nodded and looked to the night sky, the stars twinkling in the distance.

"Jokul said that I have powers that I could never dream of. He wants me to go to a place where he can teach me, both about my powers, and the rest of the world. I want to go, but..." Jack trailed off, but it wasn't too difficult to figure out what he was trying to say.

"You don't want to leave me," I finished. "Don't worry, Acionna said the same thing. I guess if we want to become really good at what we do, we need to go our separate ways first," I said, scarcely believing what I was saying. I didn't want to leave Jack, he was all I really had, but I hardly knew who I was. Jack must have been thinking the same. Wordlessly, we flew off the tree branch and hovered above the treetops, Jack's back to the north, and my back to the south.

"We'll meet back here in, let's say a year," Jack said, a genuine smile, not a smirk, planted on his face. I smiled back.

"Sounds good," I said. We caught each other's eyes, and a strange feeling coursed through my body. Why did it feel that I knew Jack from somewhere else? Thinking that I must be going crazy, I shook the thoughts from my head and gave Jack a friendly hug.

"See you later, Snowflake," I teasingly said. Jack slightly smirked, but returned the hug.

"See you later, Raindrop," he replied. Letting go of each other, we both turned 180* and flew off. I tried not to look back, because if I did, I would've followed him to wherever he was going. Staying on corse, Acionna seemed to sense my distress, because her next words comforted me greatly.

_Don't worry Misty. Jack will keep his word, and I will too. One year. For spirits, a year is nothing. _

Hmm, so that's what I am...

* * *

**This little Misty backstory thing isn't really working out for me, so I'm going to move into what will probably be the longest, greatest, and spookiest ****arc in this one-shot series.**

**I think you know what I'm talking about.**

**No?**

**Check your calendars people. What else could I be referencing?**

**Okay, pointless rant done. Review if you found the weird little exchange above amusing and want me to continue.**

**Please?**


	8. Chapter 8: The Week Begins

**Hello readers. I have been true to my word and have updated much sooner than last time (about a month and a half sooner) and here begins what I think is going to be my favorite arc in this series. I've pulled ideas from pretty much everywhere and combined it to create a eight or nine part arc that I think you'll like. Even though I think this would make a great movie, I don't own RotG, so this will have to do. Enjoy, if you dare.**

* * *

"Hey Jack, catch!" Jamie shouted, throwing a football high into the air. Laughing, Jack effortlessly flew over and caught the ball in mid-flight. He then darted through the 'end zone' (which, in reality was two trees that resembled a goal post) and threw the football onto the ground.

"Touchdown!" the boys yelled as they mobbed Jack, tackling him to the ground. Misty watched from halfway across the field and sighed. The Burgess kids had decided on playing girls against guys football. Despite their best efforts, the boys won. Well, you can't win them all. The girl's team gathered around Misty, disappointed. Misty threw them a sideways glance, and grinned.

"What do you guys say to a little snack?" she asked, breaking out her paintbrush. The girls' grinned and watched eagerly as Misty made mugs of hot chocolate appear out of nowhere. Sipping the steaming hot coco made them feel much warmer on the cool October day.

"Thanks for the hot chocolate," Caroline said, draining her cup dry.

"Some of the best I've ever had," Cupcake agreed.

"Maybe loosing the game wasn't all bad," Sarah said, taking a glance at her twin brother, James, who was wrestling with Ian. Jane nodded in agreement.

"After all, we got hot chocolate," she said.

"And the only Guardian that make it out of thin air," Pippa said with a smile. Handing the mugs back to Misty, she quickly turned them back into, well, thin air, just as the boys caught up to them.

"Good game guys," Jamie said. Pippa huffed.

"You cheated," she said, accusingly looking at Jack. Jack smiled mischievously and shrugged.

"There's nothing in the rule book about no flying," he said. Misty could feel a long conversation starting when they heard the church bells ringing. Anyone who had a watch glanced at it and quickly said their goodbyes. It was four o'clock; time to head home if you didn't want to get grounded for life. Misty and Jack followed Jamie and Caroline as they walked home. Even though the two were cousins, more often than not, Caroline ate at Jamie's house for dinner.

"Can you believe it Jamie? It's a week from Halloween!" Caroline exclaimed.

"I know, right? It's going to be so awesome! I'm dressing up as you Jack-"

"And I'm being you Misty," Caroline cut in.

"...and Sophie is going to be Bunny. I can't wait for you to see our costumes!" Jamie exclaimed. Misty glanced at Jack and slightly frowned. They had forgotten it was so close to Halloween. This could be problematic.

"You guys are coming, right?" Caroline asked. Misty hastily nodded.

"Definitely, but, well..."

"It's hard to explain," Jack said. "We'll be there, but don't look for us until Halloween night."

"Why?" Jamie asked, growing concerned.

"We've got a few things to take care of before Halloween. Preparations, you know..." Misty trailed off, not wanting to say too much.

"But-"

"Jamie, Caroline, we need you to trust us. Halloween night. We promise," Jack said. Jamie and Caroline looked at each other uneasily.

"Okay," Jamie finally said. "See you then, I guess."

"Thanks Jamie. Thanks Caroline. We'll see you then. Bye!" Misty shouted as she and Jack sped into the sky. Both flying faster than a supersonic jet, they passed over Pennsylvania in the blink of an eye, heading towards New York.

"That...was way too close," Misty said as they finally started to slow down. Jack nodded his head in agreement.

"How on Earth did we forget?" he asked. Misty ran through what they had done that October, and most of it was goofing off with each other, with the kids, or running bizarre errands for the Guardians. During the whole time, however, they kept reminding each other, and every single spirit they came across, that is was getting close to Halloween.

"No clue," Misty shouted as they finally dove back down to Earth. They landed in front of a cemetery gate in Tarrytown, New York, the sun just slipping behind the trees. Misty was glad that Terrytown was the designated entrance for the northeast, because the little town was made famous among humans during one of their most spectacular pranks ever.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Oh, did they have fun that day. Even if it was passed off as a book, the townspeople knew better. On a dare, Jack and Misty collaborated to create something that would freak the town out, and the Headless Horseman was born. Creating the Headless Horseman was one of their greatest creations and it was now a legend among spirits as well as people. Of corse, Seraphina was furious afterwards, so they never did it again, but they could dream.

But that wasn't what they were here for.

Misty pushed the large gates open and the twins walked through. Neither of them dared to speak as they moved past the gravestones, giving each other quick little glances as they walked to the very back of the cemetery. The two stopped in their tracks as they came to a statue of an angel with her two arms outstretched. Both of her palms were facing up.

Jack moved to the right side of the statue, turning to face Misty, who was standing to the left of the statue. They locked eyes and touched their staffs together, unable to hold hands and do what was next. Misty tried to take in every little detail of her brother; his face, his hair, his clothes, everything. It would be a week before she saw Jack again like this. She gave him a quick smile, and she placed her left hand on the angel. Jack did the same with his right.

The world started to spin. Everything around them turned completely black. Even if she had tried, Misty wouldn't have been able to let go of the angel's hand. She could feel the unmistakable tingling of magic flowing around them. Faster and faster they spun, the wind whipping around them. Straining her eyes, Misty could just make out fall leaves starting to mix in with the wind.

And then it stopped.

There wasn't even a slight dip in the speed. One minute they were spinning, and the next, they came to a dead halt. The wind was now just a light breeze, and it wasn't completely dark. Misty carefully removed her hand and breathed a sigh of relief. They made it. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Jack.

And boy, did he look different.

He still wore a hoodie, but it was black and unzipped, reveling an orange t-shirt. Nice, black pants replaced his old brown trousers, and on his feet were black sneakers with orange stripes. His white hair now had an orange streak that covered one eye. In place of his staff, he held a black handled sickle.

Only his ice blue eyes were the same.

Misty looked different too. Like Jack, she had on a black hoodie, orange t-shirt, black pants, and black sneakers with the orange stripes. Her hair was now black with orange highlights. The amulet was still silver, but the raindrop was midnight black. Her staff was now thinner, completely black, and had an orange crystal at the tip. Sneaking a glance into the crystal, Misty let out a breath she had been holding.

Her eyes were still blue.

"You would think that after three hundred years of doing this, we would get used to seeing each other in our Doppelgänger form after the ride," Jack said, twirling the sickle around. He experimentally sliced it through a near-by pumpkin and it cleaved in half. Misty laughed.

"I don't think we'll ever expect it Jack. Now, let's go. Auty is probably ready to send out the search party," Misty replied. Jack grinned and together, they walked through the cemetery, but a different one than before. The graves were older, the stone crumbling to bits. It was no longer sunset, but a permanent twilight. Everywhere the twins looked, they saw pumpkins and fallen leaves. Coming to a rusted gate, they pushed open the gate. In front of them was an old wooden sign that had seen its fair share of years, but its message never seemed to fade away or change with the years, and it somehow always scared the wits out of everyone who read it.

Welcome to Halloween Town.

* * *

Halloween Town was one of the largest spirit settlements. No one really knew where Halloween Town was in reference to the rest of the world, but it didn't matter. A select few graveyards around the world were the only ways of getting in and out of the strange town. Lots of humans had heard of Halloween Town and tried to recreate it, but it's safe to say that no one has gotten it right, although the Nightmare Before Christmas got pretty close.

Misty couldn't help but smile as she and Jack walked through the stone paved streets, admiring the eighteenth century buildings. The slightly slanted walls of the houses gave the whole place a very foreign look. Lots of iron spikes protruded from the finely wrought gates in front of the houses. Everywhere she looked, she saw pumpkins and jack o lanterns. Spying the clock tower, she pulled Jack into towards the center of town.

The place was jam packed with vampires, werewolves, goblins, and just about anything else you could think of. She heard spirits calling out their wares, whether it be eye of newt or a spare limb. There must have been hundreds of spirits here, some permanent residents, and others just staying here for the week. One of the oldest traditions among spirits was to go to Halloween Town the week before Halloween and then stay until Halloween night. There was just one little catch.

"Jack, Misty! There you guys are!" From one of the alley ways, a teenage girl stepped out. Her skin was bright green, the color of a witch. She had on a black dress with green trim along the sides. On her feet were knee-high black boots with ghostly green swirls. Her short, black, windswept hair had a streak of the same ghostly green color by her right eye and a pointed black and green witch hat was on her head. A simple wooden broom was in her left hand and in her right was a lyre made of black metal and ghostly green thread. If Misty didn't know exactly who the girl was, she would have thought that she was a stalker music witch. Even now, Misty had trouble believing this was the right girl, but it was impossible because of her eyes.

Her eyes were the color of lush grass.

"Lily! Didn't recognize you for a second," Misty said. Lily smirked and played a quick little ditty on her lyre. The music floated up through the streets and made thirteen little pumpkins appear in the sky.

"You're the thirteenth person to tell me that today," Lily said sassily. Lily was a prime example of what happened to a nonpermanent resident of Halloween Town. The strange magic that held the town together also made some drastic changes to those who weren't already formed from it's magic. It made spirits change from their usual selves to a more Halloween like persona.

The term was Doppelgänger magic. It brought out the qualities of trickery and it tossed the person's usual morals, likes, and dislikes out the window. The strangest part of the magic is that even looking back at what choices they had made during the time in their Doppelgänger form, no one really seemed to care. Misty was wearing shoes, but she really didn't care. Jack's hair was partially a different color, but he hardly noticed it. Lily, who hated the values of the witches, had become one of them. The magic only lasted until the sun rose on November 1, but it was powerful.

"You guys are later than usual. What kept you?" Lily asked as they walked in the direction of the clock tower. "Auty was ready to send the harpies after you." Jack and Misty shivered. The harpies would have dragged them through the portal by the scruff of their necks, and may have eaten the kids in the process.

"Let's just say we got sidetracked," Jack said as they approached the large clock tower. Walking through the archway, the three friends flew up the stairs as they chatted.

"I would've thought that the Trickster Twins would have remembered that it takes a good hour and a half for the portal to fling you here," Lily continued. "And then you just had to go on the sightseeing trip, didn't you?"

"Well excuse us for wanting to remember what this place looks like," Misty retorted.

"Just how many new spirits are we looking at?" Jack asked. "I don't remember it being this crowded last year."

"We've got a good number, that's for sure. I can't tell you how long it took to sort everyone out, and don't get me started on the space complaints," Lily said as they approached the top of the tower. The loft came into view and Misty braced for chaos.

She wasn't disappointed.

There were spirits _everywhere, _but that should've been expected in Halloween Control Central, the place where trick or treating is hard science. The vampires were plotting out feeding routes (everyone just turned a blind eye to that one), the ghosts had a map of every place that was even remotely haunted, and the witches were talking about holding the first coven in over a century. Lily moved over to her fellow colleagues while Jack and Misty headed towards the back. There, around a circular table, stood some of Halloween's most important figures and representatives.

Representing the vampires was none other than Dracula, looking very much how he did in the 1800's. In a full cape and Victorian style clothing, he looked intimidating to say the very least. On his left was the werewolf Ramon, a twenty-something looking man with ragged clothes and scruffy brown hair. Pointed teeth could be made out from both of them. While the two men certainly were not friends, no one could deny that their presence was necessary.

The head witch Diana stood across from them, her long raven hair tucked neatly under her pointed hat. She wore a simple black robe that reached to the floor, but her green skin and her piercing purple eyes were adornment enough. Lady Rowena of the ghosts floated beside her, her long silver gown sweeping the floor. Her chestnut brown hair framed her face, accenting her pale blue eyes. The two were old friends, however uncommon friendship was between the two types of spirits.

Mischief, a very respectable goblin, stood on a step-stool, his long, thin ears sticking out. Dressed in a red shirt, brown vest, and brown pants, he made to be a goblin that one could trust. Barebones, a skeleton of very high reputation, stood next to Auty.

"Look's like our Stage Setters have arrived," Lady Rowena said, turning everyone's heads in their direction. Auty gave them a wide smile, and motioned them to stand by him. Misty found it slightly amusing that the magic of Halloween Town had absolutely no effect on his personality whatsoever, but that could just be the fact that being the Master of Autumn gave him a certain edge. That didn't mean he didn't look different. He now wore a long sleeved orange shirt with thick black stripes around the sleeves. Black pants replaced his usual brown and orange shoes were on his feet. A long staff with red leaves on it was in his hand.

"Good to see you made it here in one piece," Auty said. "We were just getting to the weather conditions. We narrowed down your task to just over four hundred and fifty cities." Misty took one glance at the paper and frowned.

"This is four hundred and fifty cities out of how many?" Jack asked, scanning the list. The cities ranged from New Orleans to Beijing.

"We went through three hundred fifty six thousand, eight hundred and forty two before deciding," Barebones said. "And this is just the first two hours of applications." Misty glanced at Jack and grimaced.

This was going to be a long meeting.

* * *

**Oh, that was so much fun writing. And so begins the favorite of all RoTG fanfic writers, the Halloween Arc. I can't wait to update, and a few reviews would make my day. So review (or I will send the harpies after you hehehe...)**


	9. Chapter 9: Holiday Bureaucracy

**I'm still not one hundred percent sure what I was thinking when I wrote this chapter, but here it is. It's a little boring, but it does a really good job of setting up the plot-line. Plus, the characters are fun portraying. I don't own RoTG, so enjoy.**

* * *

"Let me get this straight. You want Jack and me to cover nine hundred cities, each a good three hundred miles away from each other, and still be able to stand up afterwards?" Misty asked, looking at the newest list of cities. Turns out that the list that Misty had seen first was just scratching the surface. The final count had come to two and a half thousand. After two hours of hard bargaining, they had gotten the list down to nine hundred.

Which was still way too many.

"We've been over this before," Ramon said. "If these cities aren't covered, we've got major problems. These are sites of long awaited rituals, much needed hauntings, and over the top parties that need to happen. Without the erie fog and the sharp cold, Halloween goes down hill. We need these things covered."

"Yes, but you also need us conscious," Jack said. Over usage of powers could be deadly to spirits, or at least leave them in a self-induced coma for a week.

"Your powers are heightened during this time of year. The magic that turns you to your current forms also makes your powers stronger," Diana said. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"It will be if you want us to keep a maintained setting," Misty said. "It's not as simple as leave it and go. In order for my mist to stay for the whole night, it takes a good amount of power. Multiply that by nine hundred, and I'm down for the count."

"We need these places covered. There is no other option," Auty said, raising his voice.

"Says the person who's powers are limitless at this point," Jack sneered. Misty could sense a fight coming on. Even if Auty was technically family, these arguments suggested otherwise.

"I've been organizing this thing for weeks, and you have the nerve-"

"You're not even in charge of Halloween Auty."

"...to barge in and tell me how to do my job? Well, I'll tell you-"

"SHUT UP!" Barebones boomed, startling everyone on the loft into silence. "You two are acting like spoiled brats who are arguing over who stole the cookie from the cookie jar. Now, can we please come to a decision? We've been on this topic for too long and I am just about ready to knock you two over the head for your stupidity. Now apologize, and get something done!" Jack and Auty gave each other guilty glances.

"Oops," Jack finally said. Auty smiled in relief.

"Yeah, oops," he said. "Now, what's it going to take to get the stage set for Halloween? We can't lessen the cities unfortunately, but maybe we can get you guys some help." Misty glanced at Jack.

"It's not a bad idea," she said. "Crystal and Loch have been wanting to help for ages." Jack nodded his head and turned back to the committee.

"Sounds like a plan, but would it be possible to grant us a favor as well?" Misty raised her eyebrows. What was he planning this time?

"What's the favor?" Lady Rowena asked. Jack pointed to Burgess, Pennsylvania on the large map on the table. Misty glanced at Jack and he gave her his trademark grin. So this was his plan all along.

"There are twelve kids in Burgess, Pennsylvania that are good friends of ours. We'll name names later, but these kids aren't touched. No blood draining, no biting, no nothing," Jack said. "Do that, and we've got a deal."

"Sounds fair to me," Diana said. Lady Rowena nodded her head in agreement.

"We really don't like children's blood anyway. Too sweet," Dracula said. Ramon glared at him, obviously not believing a word.

"You better not," he growled. "We won't touch them Jack. Promise."

"I don't see why not," Mischief, who had been recording the whole thing in ernest. "No harm there."

"Okay then, its unanimous. We won't touch the kids, you get help, and we're all happy. Problem solved," Auty said, bringing the matter to a close. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Done," Mischief said, scribbling down the agreement. "Now that that's taken care of, we need to talk about the new spirits. At last count, there were five hundred and fifteen spirits who will be having their first Halloween in their Doppelgänger form. Here, take a look." Mischief brought out a scroll and unwound it. Name after name appeared. Misty could hardly believe there could be this many new timers. There must have been an influx in spirits.

"Holy Man in the Moon," Jack mumbled.

"Holy Man in the Moon is right," Auty said. "Speaking of such, guess what happens this Halloween." Misty got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"You're joking" she accused. Auty shook his head.

"Nope. Full moon this time. That means a couple different things. One, the werewolves will be transforming, but Ramon is working on that little issue. Two, it's the perfect time to hold the coven. And third, the Man in the Moon can see everything that we're doing. Everything"

"And that means, just like every year, he'll call in the Guardians," Lily, who had popped in after the little dispute between Jack and her brother. "You would think that they would finally understand that we're not helping Pitch. He has absolutely no influence on Halloween."

"You would think," Dracula agreed. "Endangering the children this, supporters of Pitch that, it's getting really old."

"And that's coming from Dracula," Lady Rowena commented. Everyone, except Dracula, chuckled at that. General consensus agreed that Dracula was older than everyone there. Misty noticed that everyone was giving Jack and her quick glances. She knew where this was going.

"Let me guess, you want us to help with this too," Jack said. Surprisingly, everyone shook their heads no.

"Actually, we've already got some people working on that," Auty said. Not for the first time, Misty thought that a few members were missing from the meeting, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Now, it was as clear as day. The two most powerful spirits of Halloween were missing.

"So that's where Titania and The Master of Halloween are," Misty said. Titania was the queen of the fairies, very much like her Shakespearian counterpart. The Master of Halloween, however, was best not named. Old superstition said it was bad luck to call the Master of Halloween by name from the twenty-sixth until Halloween night. Strange things had happened on Halloween when the superstition was broken, so spirits tried to abide by the old rules.

"You've got that right. They've been working on an old spell that will make it impossible for the Man in the Moon to see anything. I've never seen so many spell books in one place, ever. I just hope the spell will work. We're in big trouble if it doesn't," Auty explained. Misty glanced at Jack. The Guardians would be furious when they found out that two of their own were on the Halloween committee. No doubt they had noticed their absence by now.

"The spell won't stop the Guardians, will it?" Jack said in a flat tone. Ramon shook his head.

"The spell's powerful, but not that powerful. There's going to be some major issues come Halloween night. That's partially why we wanted so may cities covered. Less visibility means we have the edge."

"That explains the crazy high number," Jack said. "I'll bet that if you can get half of the winter and summer spirits to work on this, we can cover all the cities on the list, no problem."

"I'll see what I can do," Diana said. "My guess is that we'll get more than enough."

"So, can we go?" Misty asked, more than ready to leave. "We're only needed for this part, and I think we're done. Besides, I think the fact that Jack are Guardians is complicating things." Auty nodded his head.

"Go ahead. We'll gonna be here for a while. You're tokens are with Zany. See you two later. Think you can be back here the thirtieth? I just want to confirm a few things."

"Sure," Jack replied.

"What about the kids?" Mischief asked. Grabbing a loose piece of paper and a pencil stub, she scribbled the names down. Handing the paper to the goblin, she waved bye and left with Jack.

"That was stressful to say the least," Jack said. "Every year that stupid Halloween bureaucracy makes life harder than it already is around this time of year," Misty snorted.

"No kidding. Did it seem odd that they didn't care that we left?" Jack shrugged.

"Who cares? Right now, I want get out of here, see some friends, and get my yearly intake of pumpkin muffins. Race you to Zany's."

"You're on."

* * *

"They're gone," Lily said. Auty breathed a sigh of relief. He took a glance at the list. The names jumped out at him, each one searing its way into his brain. Glancing at the Halloween committee, he sighed and pushed the list into the center of the table.

"And now onto the subject of the Burgess kids," he said. He could see more than a few frowns appear. Everyone, _everyone,_ in the spirit world had heard about the last children to believe in the Guardians, and boy was this going to be an issue. They weren't official Guardians, but they had long ago agreed to help out on a night where spirits ran amok.

"Do the Guardians have any idea how much danger these kids are in?" Lady Rowena asked. " Even if we say that they can't be touched, many will interpret this opportunity as an easy way to overpower the Guardians. Get the kids, they've got some of the strongest believers on the planet in their grasp."

"We're not Guardians though. What can we do?" Barebones asked.

"We can give them a chance to defend themselves," an new voice calmly said. Auty turned and his jaw just about dropped to his chest. Titania stood there, her long white dress sweeping the floor. Her chestnut brown hair fell in waves to her shoulders and her delicate wings fluttered lightly behind her.

"Titania, what are you doing here?" Auty asked. "The spell-"

"Is nearly finished. This is far more important. Those kids need something, particularly young Jamie, Sophie, and Caroline. I can spell the others with something that will protect them, but the Bennetts will need something more, with Jamie being the Last Light, Sophie his sister, and Caroline being the Last Spark," Titania said, moving closer to the table.

"What are you suggesting Titania?" Dracula demanded.

"You know perfectly well what I mean. The charms, one from each of the gathered groups here, one from me, and one from the Halloween Master," she said. The committee members gasped.

"No," Ramon said. "Those things are dangerous. They're meant for spirits, not little kids. Most spirits won't even use one to save their own lives."

"Isn't that a little extreme? Giving them transformation charms?" Mischief asked. Titania shook her head.

"They can handle it. The charms are risky, but they give the best chance at keeping them safe. They have strong belief, and that will protect them. Sophie can't use them, but I will personally see that she gets the proper protection."

"It's still dangerous though. The charms are unpredictable at best, and could leave them permanently transformed," Auty said. Lily scrunched her eyebrows.

"Do they have to be full charms?" she asked, looking at Diana. "Why not just give them the qualities they need instead of a full transformation? That has to be less risky."

"It is possible," she said. "I'll have to do some digging, but I'm sure I'll be able to find something. I'm positive, however, that Titania and the Halloween Master can't give a partial charm."

"We don't have many more options. Two full charms aren't going to hurt them anymore than the rest," Lady Rowena replied.

"Lily and Auty shouldn't give theirs," Barebones said. "The Guardians will know immediately from their signature, and someone must keep an eye them all night."

"I'll do it," Lily said. Everyone nodded in approval.

"Good. It's time I went back to working on the spell. Until then, goodbye." Titania walked away, leaving the committee confused and a little frightened. Mischief glanced around and pulled the next paper off the stack, not one to waste time..

"Moving along then, we've got a little problem with the apple shipments..."

* * *

**Once again, not sure what I was thinking. I'm accepting some character ideas for the citizens of Halloween Town, so don't be afraid to review (please? *puppy dog eyes*) Please review as you see fit (read: review or I will send harpies after you. You have been warned hehehe...)**


	10. Chapter 10: Halloween Town

**Hey guys. Sorry about the long wait. I'm going to have to cut this arc a little shorter than planned, but it should still be good. This one is slightly boring, but it certainly shows just how much a little magic can effect anyone. Enjoy, if you dare.**

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Misty shot over the twilight sky of Halloween Town, Jack right on her heels. Whooping with laughter, the twins sped across town, weaving in and out of flying broomsticks, ghosts, and all sorts of flying ghouls. Misty wasn't a hundred percent sure what was being shouted as she and Jack whizzed by, but it certainly couldn't be friendly.

"Either I'm loosing my mind, or that witch back there just cursed me in Latin," Jack shouted, frowning in confusion. "I think she said something including mud, anchovies, and sassafras."

"Well, I think that sassafras is for creating horrible rashes, but I'll go with loosing your mind," Misty replied.

"You sure? My back is starting to itch," Jack said. Coming to the edge of town, the two dived down, landing in front of a what could be a normal looking house, if it wasn't for the iron-wrought gate that was shaped into a black-widow spider. The gate swung open by itself and they walked through. Misty banged the pewter knocker three times.

"Hello?" Zany asked, opening the door.

"Hey Zany. Just coming to pick up the tokens," Misty said, greeting the summer spirit. Zany was the literal personification of the sun, with a very sunny personality to match. She had the same yellow hair and eyes she always did, and besides the fact that she was wearing a sleeveless orange dress and high heels, Zany looked like she did all the time.

"Hey Misty. Hey Jack. You guys certainly look the part of the trickster twins. Here are the tokens," she said, handing the twins two black pouches. Misty shook out a small wooden token, Halloween Town's currency, onto her palm, running her fingers over the pumpkin carving.

"Thanks Zany," Jack said, scratching his wrist, which was quickly developing a bright red rash. "Do you by chance have some cursed rash cream on hand?" Zany giggled and grabbed a potion bottle off the shelf. Dropping a small amount on Jack's hand, the raw skin instantly cleared up. Jack sighed with relief.

"Annika has been driving everyone crazy lately with her signature curse. You're not the first one to ask for a little relief," Zany said. "Well, if that's all, I need to go back to planning the New Orleans party. The Ghosty Three are going to be playing some spooktackular jazz come Halloween."

"We'll be sure to drop by Zany. See you later," Misty said. Taking off, she and Jack did a little acrobatics show before landing on the cobblestone streets. Misty always felt like a stereotypical teenager whenever she and Jack wandered around Halloween Town, occasionally browsing the store windows filled with candy, costumes, and cauldrons. She occasionally chatted with friends, getting the latest news, while Jack conversed with a few of his winter colleagues. In short, Misty was content.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," Misty heard a familiar voice shout. In bemusement, Misty watched as Casey, one of Jack's greatest rivals, ran up to Jack and pulled him a hug. For the last fifty years, a continuous debate raged on whether Lily's Doppelgänger form or Casey's Doppelgänger form was freakier. Lily became a sassy, bad tempered, and hot-headed witch during Halloween, and Casey turned into a sweet girl who Jack got along with creepily well. Basically, Lily and Casey swapped personalities.

Currently, Misty was on the side of Casey's transformation.

"Where have you guys been? It's already noon of the twenty-seventh," Casey chatted as they continued to walk down the street. Casey's physical appearance hadn't changed too much. Her hair was shorter and much darker, her belt was black, and skull charms could be found hanging from her articles of clothing. As always, the magic never effected eye color, so Casey's eyes were still silver.

"Halloween committee duties," Jack replied. Casey grimaced.

"They don't call it the ultimate bureaucracy for nothing. I guess with you guys being the Stage Setters, you had to go, huh? Still, I've always wanted to see what Halloween Control Central looks like."

"Picture a council of war. Now picture a council of war on a massive sugar high, chugging quintuple expressos," Misty explained. "That will amount to about a forth of the chaos."

"Is that on a bad day?" Casey asked. Jack and Misty glanced at each other and burst out laughing.

"The only time Halloween Control Central has a bad day is October thirtieth, and you really don't want be within a hundred feet of the clock tower when that happens," Jack said, clutching his stomach in laughter. Misty wiped a few tears out of her eyes, using her staff to support herself.

"Hey, it's the Banshee Cafe," Jack commented as they passed in front of a small building. "Let's go in. I'm starving." Jack grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air, making Misty realize just how hungry she was. A stand up chalkboard spelled out the specials, most of them consisting of at least one pumpkin element, and the rest including eyeballs or entrails. The cafe was fairly busy, but not so much that finding a seat was impossible.

"Well, if it isn't the Trickster Twins and Miss Casey Ember," a large man said. He was rounder and taller than most of the town's citizens, on account of being either part troll or part giant. A messy black mop of hair covered his head, a stark contrast to the spotless white apron covering his body.

"Hey Bruce. Just stopping in for lunch," Jack said, tossing him six tokens. A slight wind gust carried the tokens, dropping them into a pumpkin shaped jar. After taking a quick glance at the menu, Jack finally said, "Three daily specials please."

"Coming right up," Bruce said. The man snapped his fingers and a banshee drifted out, carrying a tray piled with steaming delights. Settling down into one of the round tables that were scattered around the room, the banshee waitress set down piping hot bowls of soup, a basket of golden brown bread, and three glasses of an undefinable cider. Misty breathed in the delicious smell.

"Have a good meal," the waitress said. They dived into their meal, slurping the soup and breaking off chunks of bread. The soup turned out to be the Banshee Cafe's specialty, spiced pumpkin, and it was better than ever. Misty sipped the cider, raising her eyebrows in surprise. She was expecting apple cider from the most famous cafe in town, not pear and cherry.

"Trying something different?" she asked Bruce. The man chuckled, kneading the dough for some sort of pastry, his huge arms turning the floury glob into something that could be used for baking, most likely a fruit pie. He plopped the dough down, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Thought I'd save the good stuff for the big night. Besides, the blend is a test run from a friend of mine. He's got about fifty different fruit ciders that need testing. How is it?"

"It needs a little something extra," she replied. "Maybe a little grape." Turning back to her meal, she moped up the rest of the soup with a chunk of bread, listening while Jack and Casey talked about Halloween plans.

"I'm thinking about going to Paris this year," Casey said, absentmindedly turning her spoon around. "I've heard the haunting is really good there."

"Trust me, if it's good haunting you want, skip Paris and head to the smaller outlying villages. There's a greater chance that people will interact with you in the smaller towns," Jack said. "We learned that pretty fast."

"Another really good option is Ireland," Misty commented. "Even though people always report seeing strange things in Ireland, this time of year is even better. The best parties are in Ireland too."

"Look at us," Casey joked. "Three teenagers in a cafe talking about Halloween parties. We almost sound human."

"Almost. Key word Casey," Jack teased. "Next thing you know, we'll be constantly checking our nonexistent cell phones, drinking frappe chinos, and complaining about high school." Everyone in earshot roared with laughter.

"Around this time of year, who knows? The barrier between life and death is weakened, allowing the spirits of the past to walk among mortals," a nearby ghost started reciting. "What was once impossible is now common. People change is ways that cannot be foreseen. The gates rise once the sun sets and then..."

"We rule the night!" the cafe patrons cheered, raising their glasses high in toast. Misty gulped her cider down, finishing off one of the best meals she had had in a while. With a nod to Jack and Casey, they left the cafe, stepping out into the ever crisp twilight of Halloween Town.

"Well, I have get going," Casey said. "I'm still have to do a few things before Halloween. Plus, I'm taking part in the fire show at the Flaming Theater, and they'll send harpies if I'm not there soon. See you guys later!"

"See you later Casey!" Jack said. Looking around, he looked at Misty and grinned.

"Let's go for a walk. Our sightseeing tour was interrupted after all," he said, motioning down the street. Misty grinned and they started walking down the street again. Coming to the edge of town, they started wandering around the forest, watching the leaves swirl in the wind. Jack started whistling a little tune and Misty chimed in, letting the sound carry through the trees. Everything was peaceful.

**So this is what happens when the Trickster Twins go to Halloween Town. **Misty nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around to face someone she wished wasn't there. Sandy, looking completely normal, was standing behind them. What shocked her even more is that Sandy didn't look angry. He almost seemed glad to see them.

"Sandy!" Jack exclaimed. "What are you doing here! If anyone sees you-"

**Relax. I am one of the oldest spirits on the planet. Halloween has been a yearly tradition for me too. I come here to see some old friends. No one here is going to cry out 'Guardian!' anymore than if they saw you walking down the street, **Sandy said, floating closer to them.

"But you're a Guardian," Misty sputtered. "Every year-"

**You both are Guardians, and you are here. North, Bunny, and Tooth have never grasped the idea that Pitch has not brainwashed the entire spirit population on Halloween. I don't help with the hunt. I prefer to stay on my island and throw a Halloween party.**

** "**You're joking," Jack said, his mouth gaping. Sandy rolled his eyes.

**I am not joking. Working a little magic around my island keeps the rest of the Guardians, and MiM, from spying on the festivities. The Guardians just think that the citizens of Halloween Town have spun a spell that traps me on my island every Halloween.**

"Doppelgänger magic must be stronger than I thought if it can affect the master of dreams," Misty muttered. Sandy silently laughed.

** You would be surprised. Now, I think a little someone has missed you, **Sandy said. Moving out of the way, Little Sand fluttered out and flew over to Misty. Whatever was keeping Sandy looking like he usually did also applied to Little Sand. She still had the same blue and white dress and golden hair.

**She wanted to see both of you, and Halloween Town. I'll be going now. Don't want to raise too much of a fuss after all. **With that, Sandy floated off, leaving Misty and Jack more confused than they thought possible. Little Sand flew up to Misty's shoulder and settled down. Misty had forgotten what the little fairy had felt like on her shoulder.

"You're not spying on us, are you?" Jack asked. Little Sand shook her head.

"You guys are my friends. Friends don't spy on each other," Little Sand said, using her voice for the first time in a while. Jack then grinned and pointed back to town.

"Then let's go see the fire show. Casey is probably a little steamed at us for not coming to her first showing."

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**The next chapter will be shorter than usual. I can tell you that right off the bat. Have fun reviewing (I have fifty hungry harpies waiting if you don't. You have been warned...)**


	11. Chapter 11: The Gate Opens

**I'm apologizing in advance for the ridiculously short chapter, but to be honest, this one could afford to be short. The first really exciting chapter is coming next, and judging by the fact that we are just a week away from Halloween, I probably won't finish this arc by Halloween.**

**Sorry.**

**Anyway, please enjoy this (insanely short) chapter while I furiously type the next part of this arc.**

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Everyone stood tense. Even the wind seemed to hesitating to blow. The graveyard was filled with spirits, everyone talking in hushed tones. Any noise that was above a pin drop caused the surrounding spirits to glance around in a hundred different directions. The silent scene seemed off, with Halloween just minutes away, but no one could deny that everyone was scared down to the tips of their feet. Everything was banking on whether the spell would work.

Misty grasped her staff tightly, letting Little Sand sit on the orange crystal that toped her staff. The rest of the week was nothing more than a blur, the days slipping by as they ate, socialized, and watched close to fifty plays. After an hour of pleading, they finally got Little Sand into a cute orange dress for the occasion. The early morning meeting with Auty had gone fairly well, although he did look a little bit like he was constantly trying to spit something out but couldn't.

The graveyard went from quiet chatter to dead silence as Titania stepped in front of the angel with the outstretched arms. Raising her arms, she slowly started to chant in a language that hadn't been universally spoken since before the Golden Age. Slowly, but surely, a portal started to form, a swirling hole of purple and black clouds that both blended in with the graveyard and stood in contrast to it. The Tarrytown graveyard appeared and Misty's eyes widened. A full moon stood in the center of the portal, seemingly peering straight to her.

Timed to a second, a shadow whizzed through the portal, breaking though just as the sun was about to set. Titania raised her arms again, calling all the fairies to her. They poured their magic through the portal, the stream not stopping until the sun had dipped behind the horizon. Orange and black swirls started to spin around the moon, not stopping until the colors broke into a shower of fine particles. No one dared to breathe.

A cackle broke the scared silence, piercing the night sky. Everyone jumped, most turning around to make sure that Halloween Town wasn't being invaded. Once the shock started to wear off, a small murmur turned into a collective cheer. Spirits started to float above the ground in excitement and a good number clapped each other on the back. The plan had worked.

Misty and Jack took their places at the front of the portal, ready to lead the host of Stage Setters around the globe. Auty gave the twins a quick smile before turning to the portal. Taking his staff, he slammed the wood into the portal, instantly widening the cloud. Slipping through the portal, he sent a burst of orange light into the sky.

"Happy Halloween!" he shouted, soaring off, taking a trail of fall leaves behind him. Misty and Jack dived into the swirling mass and flew out the other side. The sky was slightly cloudy, and a light breeze blew under her hoodie. Not a bad fall night.

_Next time you go galavanting off to a miniature dimension, please tell me first, _Acionna huffed, waisting no time. _It's kind of hard for me to help you out when you head somewhere that I cannot access. _Hearing her mentor made Misty slightly wince. She had forgotten that wind spirits didn't really have the ability to activate interdimensional portals. She glanced at Jack and he grimaced, most likely having got berated for disappearing off the face of the Earth as well.

"We'll talk later," Misty mumbled. Raising her staff, she spun high into the sky, a host of spirits scattering to the four corners of the world. As she flew, she started forming a large grey cloud while Jack called up an icy wind. Jack gave her a trademark smirk and dove down, wordlessly challenging her. She broke into a mischievous grin as she swooped dow to meet him, flying ever closer to New York. It had been too long since the last time she and Jack had a battle of the elements, and there was no better time than now.

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The graveyard stood empty. Everyone had taken off so fast, it was hard to believe no one had gotten trampled. To be fair though, it was the one night of the year spirits could be seen by everyone. Only one person still remained. He stood next to an ornate tombstone, looking into the sky. The moon seemed to glare at him, even though he was well aware that the night sentential couldn't see him. The man raised his staff to the full moon, smiling.

"Well Manny, it seems we've got the upper hand this year, don't you say? Tables have been turned, and you can't do a thing to stop it. I wish you and your Guardians luck. You will need it tonight." With that, the man turned around, slipping into the shadows, leaving behind only the sound of his haunting laugh.

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**Hmm...now what could that mean? Stay tuned for the first part of the Halloween Night chapters if you want to find out (and review. I still have hungry harpies waiting for a midnight snack).**


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